The Road That Leads To You
by EternalxEmbers
Summary: We were so close, that I couldn't see the distance that was actually between us. I was so naive, that I didn't understand why whenever you said no. I used to think we shared everything with each other, but little did I know you withheld from me the biggest secret of all... HoennChampionShipping Game-based. (Rated T for low/mild violence during Pokemon battles, just to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**_1._**

The idea of moving has always been intriguing to me. Why people moved, where they want to move to, who they'll move with.

Why is it that so many people feel the need to leave their homes in search of somewhere else? Of course I know that there are some cases where the person has no choice but to live elsewhere, but what about the people who choose of their own free will?

Do they hate where they currently are? Or are they just the type that can't stay in one place for too long?

Do they need to move for family reasons? Are they moving because of work reasons? If so, wouldn't it be easier to just find another job near you? Why travel between towns, cities or across oceans just for one specific line of work?

That was something I'd asked my father a lot over the last month. He'd been looking for a job as a Gym Leader for the past year now, with no luck. None of the current Gym Leaders were willing to give up their spots.

And when there was a rare opening for someone else to take on the title, dad never seemed to make it even with all the applications he'd sent in.

After months of struggling, my father was ready to give up. And he would have, if not for a single letter he'd received in the mail.

The letter was offering him a position as Gym Leader of Petalburg City. Apparently the Gym was left by the previous owner some months ago, and people were unwilling to take the role.

Of course my dad would jump at such an opportunity. He'd practically flung the front door off it's hinges in his haste to break the good – or not so good, depending on how you look at it – news to his family.

At first we were happy for him. Dad was getting his dream job, mum wouldn't have to bare the burden of the bills anymore and my little brother, Max, well, he was thrilled that he finally had something to brag about to all his friends.

But then it clicked, and I realised there was just one little problem. Petalburg City wasn't in Johto. After dad explained in further detail that in order for him to become Gym Leader we all had to move to a different region...well I'm sure you can guess that the excitement in the room quickly fell flat.

Mum was reluctant, Max was in tears and I, I was furious. There was no way I'd move to a whole other region and leave all the people that I love behind. Max shared the same viewpoint I did. But mum, as always, stood behind our father.

It ended up turning into a very heated argument; kids against parents. Harsh words were spoken, objects were thrown to the floor as my brother released all his emotions into one massive tantrum, and all hell broke loose as I insistently fought with two of the people who've made so many sacrifices for my benefit.

But I didn't care right now, all that mattered to me was the fact that I was going to be ripped away from my friends, my relatives and my home all because of some silly little title that my dad wanted to hold.

Finally out of tears and anger, Max and I could do nothing more but retreat to our room, leaving our parents feeling guilty over the whole situation.

I was frustrated and feeling betrayed, but after having time to cool down I also felt bad for reacting the way I had. I knew that they weren't doing this to purposely hurt us, and that with this new job our family would get by a lot easier.

Alas, I shared more qualities with my dad than I'd like to admit, pride and stubbornness being two of them. I wasn't about to just skip into the kitchen, get on my knees and grovel at their feet about how sorry I am.

No, the world would sooner end than that ever happening. So I spent the rest of the month giving both parents – mainly my father – the cold shoulder. It only took a week before I caved and forgave my mum for siding with dad though.

Ignoring her wasn't an easy thing to do, considering she was really the only person I relied on when it came to pretty much every problem I had. Not being able to confide in my feelings and thoughts on this thing had almost driven me insane.

It'd gotten to the point where I couldn't even be in the same room as her for fear that I open my mouth and blurt out everything I've been holding back.

But all my efforts had been in vain, because that one night I'd had a nightmare she'd been the first to race in and see if I was okay, like always. I didn't have nightmares often, but when I did they could get pretty violent. Thrashing in my sleep, tearing at my sheets and clawing my pillow were all things that usually occurred whenever it got really bad.

As soon as I'd seen her in the doorway all walls I'd built up instantly came crashing down and everything bottled up inside came flooding out in a heap of sobs and tears.

After that night my mother and I were on a speaking basis. There was still that tension in the air, but it wasn't uncomfortable enough to make me brush her off again.

Max hadn't taken too long to come around to the idea. In fact, the very next day he'd began packing his bags and going on and on about how cool dad was now and how many new Pokémon he could find over in the new region. Traitor.

Though he was thoroughly disappointed to learn that we wouldn't be leaving until the end of the month. Giving us enough time to say farewell to the people we knew.

No matter how reluctant I was to say goodbye, I wasn't going to waste what little time there was left that I had to spend with everyone.

The day of our departure had finally arrived and I still wasn't happy about it. Everyone we knew had gathered together for a final farewell before we boarded the plane and set off on our way.

We left Goldenrod City, my birthplace and beloved home, and made our way to Hoenn.

While Max was fascinated by the view out the window, I kept my eyes trained on the two Poké balls resting in my hands. Pokémon weren't allowed out on the plane for fear of causing problems, so I had to keep them tucked away until the end of the trip.

It's such a shame, too. I'm sure they would've loved to watch the outside world change before them with Max. Holding tightly onto the mechanic balls in my hands, I lowered my head and tried my best to take a nap so time would pass faster.

I remember feeling nauseous by the time the plane had landed. Whether it was because of the trip or the fact that I was now separated from home by an entire ocean I wasn't sure of. Could've been both. I've never been a good flyer.

Strangely enough, I'd expected the earth beneath my feet to feel different, foreign, but it didn't. It was just like Johto. The sky was the same, also.

I don't know why I'd expected the sky to be any different, but luckily it wasn't. What was different though were the buildings and the people.

And the Pokémon. There was types I'd never even seen before! Of course that was to be expected, but it's always a shock to see something so completely different from what you're used to seeing, yet everyone around you completely accepts it as something of the norm.

As they should. Because this is Hoenn, not Johto. My stomach twisted uneasily at being reminded that I was in a place I knew nothing about, miles away from everyone I know and care about that couldn't come with me.

We waited around in Lilycove City for the moving van to arrive. Dad had to leave as soon as we'd landed and was hailing down the nearest cab for a ride to Petalburg City.

Apparently we were living in a different town from the Gym, seeing as there were no vacant houses. So that meant dad wouldn't be at home as often as before. Which was just another thing to add to my grudge list.

Yes, we weren't talking – or more like I wasn't – but it's still upsetting that he wouldn't even be home half the time. If he was going to spend little to no time at all with us he should've just moved here on his own.

Mum had taken interest in the large mall-looking shop a path or two up from the Lilycove City Harbour and decided to take a quick look inside while Max and I were stuck waiting outside the doors for the very late van to show up.

It didn't take long for Max to wander off to the edge of the cliff and watch excitedly for any water-type Pokémon. I had half a mind to run over and deliver a swift kick to his behind so he goes flying over the edge.

I was still mad at him for so easily taking the side of our parents. The cliff wasn't all that high, a meter or two at least, and it's not like Max can't swim. Oh how I was tempted...

But before the wicked side of my judgement could come to a complete decision a loud honking quickly brought me to my senses. I turned to see the van crawling towards the Harbour.

Max sprung into action and ran to the shops at my request to retrieve mum. They returned shortly after, saving me the trouble of having to delay the man.

Furniture was moved, strapped and covered. Papers were signed and quick discussions were had before we were finally able to get moving.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't at all excited to see our new home, but I was getting tired of waiting around and doing nothing. I'd much rather be in my new room sulking for the rest of the day than having to sit outside and watch adults talk about mindless things.

When it came to seating arrangements in the van, I ended up getting the short end of the stick, as always. There were only two seats available, excluding the driver's seat.

Mum insisted that she needed to sit upfront because she had to tell the man driving where to go – as if he didn't already know considering he lives in Hoenn – and Max argued that he was too small to sit in the back and might get squashed by any falling furniture.

Well it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if he happened to be flattened...

Unable to push against them, I submitted to riding in the back. Though it wasn't too bad I suppose. I did get to spend time with my two Pokémon. We played for a bit, wasting away the first hour or so by chasing small objects rolling around in the back of the van.

Turning corners always made it difficult to keep your footing while also trying to catch the runaway items. The game came to a stop though when I ended up twisting my ankle awkwardly in an effort not to fall over.

My Pokémon, Pikachu and Buizel had come running to my side instantly, one more successful than the other as the vehicle rounded a sharp corner.

I stretched my arms out to catch the tumbling electric mouse before he could hit the table legs. He squeaked in surprise and clambered up my side, burying his furry yellow face into the crook of my neck as he held on for dear life.

Buizel staggered over, landing clumsily into my lap and almost squashing poor Pikachu in the process.

The rodent squeaked unhappily and sent warning sparks flying from his cheeks, causing the ends of my hair to stand up.

I laughed and held the two close, bracing myself against an arm chair in case we had another abrupt slide show.

After the two settled down I decided to spend the rest of my time playing my yellow gameboy. It was outdated compared to the newer models being released and the only game I owned for it was one I'd completed a hundred or more times.

But it was a game I held close to my heart, funnily enough. The main focus of the game is about catching Pokémon, getting Gym Badges and taking on the Elite Four. Something a lot of people do in the real world.

The game was loosely based off what a Trainer's life is like. Except the whole saving the world plot's that get thrown into the mix.

Let's be realistic here, none of that ever happens in reality. But that's what makes the game so much better, the plot twists!

Why go out and become a Trainer who grinds their life away just to face some people stronger than them, when you can do the exact same thing on a game, but with much more exciting things happening along the way?

It's something I'll probably never understand. Why do people find travelling their entire region to collect little shiny badges just so they can lose to the Champion so fun?

I was thrown once again when the van's tire hit a sudden pothole in the road. My head smacked against the table as we slipped over to the other side of the vehicle.

I mumbled incoherent words under my breath as I rubbed gingerly at the throbbing lump starting to form. Ouch...

Buizel yelped as the van came to a sudden halt and he went tumbling towards the entrance. He tried to find his feet, but in his disoriented state all he could do was fumble around until his back found the locked doors.

I heard car doors slam from outside and muffled voices becoming louder. The sound of metal grinding on metal was deafening as something heavy was dragged across the van. All of a sudden the doors flew open, revealing a blinding light.

Buizel screeched in surprise as the surface beneath his back suddenly disappeared and all I could do was watch on in hysterics as my poor water-type fell out, arms, legs and tails flailing, onto the grass.

Pikachu jumped from my arms and bounced over to check on his friend, letting out a chittering laugh of his own before following suit.

I climbed out next, mumbling an apology to my not-so-impressed Pokémon as I helped him up. He huffed and used his two tails to brush stray grass and dirt from his orange coat.

I took this chance to have a quick look around, moving aside to allow my mum and the delivery man to take care of the furniture.

One thing I immediately noticed was how much cleaner the air was. It was crisp with the underlying scent of flowers.

The next thing I took note of were the colours. It was green everywhere. The grass, the trees, the plants. Everything was so lush and vibrant.

The town itself wasn't all too big, it looked more like a tucked away village than anything, but there seemed to be quite a few people out and about. A few would stop to introduce themselves to the newcomers, while others simply just watched from afar.

It was a little unnerving to have so many eyes settled on us. Clearly they didn't get new neighbours all too often. I'd be surprised if they even knew what was happening around the world outside of their little hideaway paradise.

I had to admit the place was beautiful, but that didn't mean I was going to hate on it any less. I had a right to be upset, and gosh darn it if I want to sulk, I will! Who's to tell me that I can't?

Something above caught my eye and I looked up, squinting against the bright sun as I watched something paint a white streamline across the sky. I wonder what it could be? Another plane perhaps?

I felt mum come over to stand beside me, taking interest in the same thing I'd seen.

"Well, this is Littleroot Town," She faltered a little when I didn't respond, but continued to uphold her cheery persona. "What do you think? This is going to be our new home!"

I continued to say nothing, because I really had nothing to say. What was she expecting from me? To just suddenly warm up to this foreign land the moment we set foot here? To forget about our old home and all the memories we'd left behind there? Well I hate to break it to her, but it's not going to happen.

"It has a quaint feel, but it looks like it should be a nice place to live, don't you think?"

"Sure, mum." I sighed, wanting her to just give me some space already. I appreciate that she's trying to lift my spirits in spite of the circumstances, I'm sure moving has been hard for her too since she's lived in Goldenrod City all her life, but right now I just needed some time alone to...just think. That's all I wanted to do.

But mum being mum, she kept on insisting to hold a conversation with me. It was starting to grate on my nerves. "And you get your own room this time, April! Come on, you have to see inside."

Without giving me any choice she grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me to our new house. Much to my chagrin.

I glanced back to see Buizel and Pikachu chasing each other around the other houses, seeming quite happy to be somewhere new.

That only made me feel worse. Was I really the only one hating that we've moved? Everyone else seems to be accepting it so easily...am I overreacting to the situation?

When I entered through the front the smell of chemicals immediately hit my nose, almost making me gag. Someone had used way too much cleaning product.

Wandering across the bare wooden floors were two Machoke's, carrying in heavy boxes and furnishing and placing them down in a not so orderly fashion. I'm sure that was getting to mum, everything being so out of place.

I could almost here the gears turning in her head as she planned out how everything would look once it was all unpacked.

Max came running down from upstairs, holding up a white and red object in his hands for us to see.

"Mum, look! Someone left a Poké ball in my room!" Exclaimed Max, bouncing on the balls of his feet in his excitement.

"Did they now?" Mum bent down to examine the mechanic device, her expression cautious. "Is there a Pokémon inside?"

Max's face fell. "No, it's empty." He pressed the round white button and the Poké ball grew in size before clicking open and revealing it's empty insides. Mum seemed relieved by that fact.

"Well, if you promise to look after it you can hold onto that and use it to catch your very first Pokémon when you start your journey."

"Really? Thanks mum!" The two exchanged hugs before the little scamp went running back from whence he came.

"Hey wait, what do you mean you found it in your room? Who said you get to choose first!" I was quick to follow after him. I heard mum sigh before she too tagged along.

"I claimed this one!" There were three doors on the second floor, and Max was pointing to the one on the right. I went over to glance inside. It seemed pretty spacious.

I went to the other rooms to compare sizes, and sure enough Max had chosen the second largest room. Obviously the master bedroom was reserved for the parents.

Angry, I stomped over to Max, grabbed him by the ear and dragged him over to mum. She had an exasperated look on her face, obviously knowing what was about to ensue.

"Mum, why does Max get to have that room? I'm older so I should get it!" There was no way I was being stuck with the tiny room. It was bad enough that I'd had to share my old room with Max after he was born.

I finally got to have a room all to myself and there was no way I was going to hand the bigger one over on a silver platter to the little brat.

"But I'm a growing boy, I should have the biggest room so I have plenty of space to grow in!" Argued Max.

"But I'm bigger than you are right now, so it's only right for me to get it. I wouldn't fit in that smaller room!"

Mum stood with her arms folded, watching with amusement as we bickered amongst ourselves. After heated words started turning into pushing and hair pulling she was quick to step in though.

"Alright, that's enough," Mum grasped the back of our shirts and pulled us apart to stop any further fighting. "Max, sweetie, I think your sister should have the bigger room-"

"But mum-!"

"Because!" Mum raised her voice to get our attention again after Max cut her off. I sent a triumphant smirk Max's way, to which he childishly stuck out his tongue in retaliation. "Because, April is older – and bigger – than you dear. She needs more space."

I grinned happily at the fact that I'd won. Sometimes the perks that came with being an older sibling made it worth it.

"Besides, you can always have the room when she moves out." Mum added quickly.

"Mum! I'm only twelve!" I protested, sending her an accusing stare.

"Yeah! Hurry up and move out sis!"

Mum laughed merrily and squeezed us into one of her typical bear hugs before letting go and making her way back downstairs to dismiss the waiting Machoke.

I decided to check out my new room. Most of my furniture had already been placed inside. I had to admit, the Machoke did a pretty good job of setting everything up.

It seems this room had been planned to be mine from the beginning. Was this mum's doing? I caught a glimpse of a pink rimmed clock hung on the wall. The hands weren't moving though.

After having a quick look around – and admiring my brand new Lapras plush, thank you mum – I decided to set the clock to the appropriate time.

Just as I'd finished I heard someone enter my room. It was mum.

"How do you like your new room, April?" She went over to sit on the sheet-less bed in the corner of the room, admiring the arrangement the Machoke's had done. There were probably a few things she'd end up changing around though.

"It's alright, I guess." I still found it hard to hold a conversation with her when it was just the two of us, but mum didn't seem the least bit phased by my standoffish behaviour.

"Good! Every thing's put away so neatly! I must ring the moving company and give those two Machoke high praise for their efforts." She examined the room once more before getting up from the bed and coming over to stand next to the desk, wiping a finger across the surface to check for any dust. Like she always did.

"You know, one of Dad's friends lives in this town. Professor Birch is his name. Do you remember him?" I shook my head. The name sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place it to a face. "I suppose you wouldn't, the last time he saw you was when Max was just a baby!

"Anyway, he lives right next door, so you should go over and introduce yourself. Though I'm sure he'll recognise you the moment he sees you."

Without really anything else to do, I decided that visiting Professor Birch wouldn't be such a bad idea. He is a family friend after all, and I am going to need new people to hang out with.

Exiting my house, the first thing I saw was Pikachu and Buizel sunbathing together in a patch of flowers. I was glad my Pokémon were enjoying themselves, even if I wasn't.

Making my way over to the house beside ours, I took a few deep breaths before rapping gently on the wooden door. I tried to peer inside, but the frosted glass of the door made it hard to make out anything.

A shadow moved on the other side, pausing for just a moment before opening up to greet me. A woman dressed in an apron stood in front of me. She had short, dark brown hair styled in a curly fashion and very prominent crows feet at the corners of her eyes, suggesting she was quite the cheery type.

I could smell an array of wonderful scents drifting out from the kitchen. Sweets and savouries of all sorts were blending together to create a delicious scent that made my mouth water and my stomach growl.

"Oh, hello. And you are?" The woman wiped her flour caked hands on the tea-towel thrown over her shoulder, sending me a quizzical look.

"Um, I'm April. I just moved in-"

"Oh, _you're_ April, our new next-door neighbour! Welcome!" Upon knowing who I was she visibly brightened, taking a step back to allow me into her home.

I bowed my head and stepped over the threshold, taking a quick glance around the place. It wasn't too different from my own house. In fact, it looked pretty much the same, except everything seemed to be reversed.

The kitchen was to the left, not the right, and the stairs were where my kitchen would be. They shared the same wallpaper and wooden floors as we did, but their lounge, TV and dining table sat in different places to ours.

I hesitantly followed the woman into the kitchen, feeling so out of place in this strangers house. She didn't seem to mind though. I'd even go as far as to say that she was glad to have a visitor.

"We have a son who is just about the same age as you." She began, running off into casual banter like we'd known each other our whole lives.

She resumed with kneading the dough spread out on the marbled bench top. "He's been so excited about making a new friend. He should be in his room upstairs. I hope you'll go and introduce yourself!"

"Erm, sure..." I proceeded to do as she asked, even though I'd much rather just excuse myself and go back home. Why had I agreed to come over in the first place? Why am I walking up some strangers stairs and looking for a room that I don't even know the location of?

I mean they seemed like nice enough people, and they weren't complete strangers, seeing as my Dad's known them for a long time now. Maybe I'm just thinking too much over every little thing? I need to relax, I need to stay calm.

Reaching the top, I was now faced with a dilemma of choosing which room to check first. Going off the fact that the house for the most part seems to be a reversed replica of my own, that would mean the second biggest room is the door to the left, seeing as the master bedroom is the furthest door down the hallway.

But what if I'm wrong? Will I accidentally end up walking in on someone who's changing? There was no mention of anyone else being up here, but that doesn't mean I can assume that it's only the boy.

And what if he's getting dressed? What if he's walking around his room half-naked like most boys do when they're at home? Max always does, so why not him?

As I ran through all the possibilities of embarrassing myself, I neglected to notice the left room's door was open. Surely if someone were to be changing they wouldn't leave the door open, right?

I felt like a bit of a tool for having let my imagination run wild like that. But it's not like that's something so uncommon for me to do. It happens quite frequently actually.

Feeling that I've delayed it for long enough, I took a step forward and burst into the room before I could wimp out and run back the way I'd came.

Pro: I'd picked the right room.

Con: He _had_ been getting dressed, but luckily he was fully clothed and placing his last item on; a white beanie.

He turned to see who'd barged into his room, his face one of shock. Can't say I blamed him. If our roles had been reversed and he'd been the one to come into my room unannounced I can guarantee that he'd be rolling back down those stairs.

"Y-you...who are you?"

I immediately felt awkward being here. I was in a boy's room, with a boy who I didn't even know. In a house that wasn't even mine. If Dad were here I'm sure he'd have a few heated things to say about me being in a situation like this.

"I'm so sorry, I'm April. You're mum insisted I come and meet you and I didn't really want to but I didn't want to seem rude either so I-"

"April?" My name appeared to have brought some sort of recognition, but it seemed he couldn't quite place it. I stood there silently as he mulled over his thoughts.

"Oh, you're the new kid who just moved in next door?!"

"Yes..."

"Huh... I didn't know that you'd be a girl." I gawked at that last comment. Didn't know that I'd be a _girl_? Why? Was it so unnatural for a girl to be living in the same space of air as him?

"Dad – I mean, Professor Birch – told me you were a kid of a Gym Leader, and I sort of hoped you'd be a guy." He admitted.

"Why? Does my gender really matter so much to you? Don't tell me you're one of those guys who thinks girls are inferior to you testosterone high males." I could feel my dislike for this boy growing. Of all the people I had to be stuck living next to, it had to be someone like him.

"No, of course not! It's just, I was kind of hoping my new rival would be another guy, you know?"

"Rival? Why would we be rivals?" I was stumped. Just what had this kid been told about me? He seemed genuinely surprised at my question.

"You are a Trainer, aren't you?"

I blanched at that. Me? A Trainer? "No way! I'm not interested in that sort of stuff."

"Really?! But I heard you had your own Pokémon..." The boy was puzzled. Was it really such a hard thing to believe when someone tells you they're not a Trainer?

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm a Trainer. I know plenty of people who own Pokémon and they're not Trainer's either." I couldn't help but get defensive. Being considered a Trainer just because I had Pokémon was something that had always irked me.

Why did everyone assume that? Do I look like Trainer material? Hardly!

"Oh...anyway my name's Brendan. Well, I guess we are still neighbours, so... Nice to meet you! Let's be friends, okay?"

"Um, yeah, okay..." I wasn't sure if Brendan was the type of person I wanted to have as a friend yet, but I guess I shouldn't judge a book before reading it, right? I don't think I got that saying correct...

"Ah wait, I forgot!" Brendan suddenly jumped from the seat at his desk, rapidly stuffing items and Poké balls into his green and white bag before clipping it around him. "I'm supposed to be going out to help my dad catch some wild Pokémon. We'll talk again some other time, okay?"

Before I even got a chance to respond, Brendan was out the door and dashing down the stairs like a Tauros heading for the feeding trough.

With nothing left to do upstairs I went back down and let myself out, saying a quick goodbye to Brendan's mother on the way.

As I was making my way home a little boy with unruly dark hair and baby-faced features ran up to me, looking to be in a panic.

I knelt down to see what was wrong, maybe he'd lost his mum and dad? "What's wrong?"

"I think I heard someone screaming up ahead!" I looked in the direction he'd pointed to. There was a sign, the red letters read: Route 101. "What should I do? What should we do? Somebody has to go help..."

I hadn't heard any screaming, but the poor thing was on the verge of tears. Something had to be wrong. "I want you to go home where it's safe, I'll go and take a look, okay?"

The little boy sniffled and gave a short nod, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. I gently pushed him in the opposite direction before running off into Route 101.

It wasn't long before I heard the same screams the child had. "H-help me!"

I ran faster, pumping my legs furiously, hoping I could get there in time to rescue whoever it was in danger. When I caught sight of what was actually happening though I stopped dead in my tracks.

A large, well-rounded man dressed in a lab coat was running in circles, avoiding the ferocious gnashers nipping at his heels. I could only stand there and watch as whatever it was chased the man round and round.

The noises it was making sounded pretty threatening, but when you actually looked at what it was, it's fluffy grey tail and upright fuzzy ears, it was hardly a threat at all.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A fully grown man, running away from a pup of a Pokémon. The strange man was suddenly backed up into a corner, cowering at the mere sight of the puffball growling at his feet.

"Halloo! You over there!" It took me a moment to realise he was calling out to me. "Please! Help me out!"

I was very tempted to just walk away and let the scaredy cat deal with it himself, but I knew that I needed to make a good impression on the people of this town, for my dad's sake.

"In my bag! There are some Poké balls!"

Sure enough, there was a brown leather satchel discarded amongst the longer grass. Three Poké balls had spilled from one of the pockets, laying on the ground.

I decided to reach for a Poké ball of my own, but then remembered that they were empty. Darn it. Instead, I reached into the grass and plucked the nearest ball from the batch, giving it a quick rub with my shirt before resizing it in my hand and throwing it out.

The Poké ball flew into the air and opened, a bright beam of warping light touching the earth. A Pokémon started to form, it was green and standing on two legs, a large darker green tail swinging about lazily.

I wasn't too sure what it was, or what moves it knew. But I assumed it would know at least some of the basic attacks.

Catching the ball as it flew back, I pointed in the direction of the pup-like Pokémon, hoping that this new Pokémon would listen to me.

"Please help that man out!" The green Pokémon glanced over at me with harsh eyes, his arms folded. It seemed like he wasn't going to listen after all. Sighing, I dropped the Poké ball in my hand and sat on the ground. Oh well, I tried.

Then the unexpected happened. The Pokémon I'd called upon suddenly sprung into action, darting across the grass and twisting himself mid-jump, bringing that solid tail crashing down on the pup's head.

The grey Pokémon was quick to turn it's attention on the other, upset about being attacked. It leaped forward, canines bared as it went in for the attack. But the Starter was much too quick and easily dodged out of the way, swinging it's tail down once again.

It made contact and the pup yelped upon impact, being thrown across the area and smacking head first into a nearby tree.

Disoriented, the wild Pokémon staggered it's way back into the tall grass, giving up the fight. The Starter Pokémon seemed quite pleased with himself, his arms once again folded and his demeanour back to being that of a I-couldn't-care-less attitude.

"Whew..." The man came over to retrieve his bag now that he was safe. "I went into the tall grass to survey wild Pokémon when I was suddenly jumped! You saved my hide. Thanks!"

"It was no problem..." I grabbed the Poké ball belonging to the Pokémon I'd used and held it out for the man to take.

The man looked over to me and his face suddenly changed, like he'd only just realised who I was. Did I know this person...?

"Oh? But you're Norman's girl, April!" Ah, so this must be dad's old friend. "I didn't even recognise you at first. You've grown into quite the young lady."

"Um, thank you..." I wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Embarrassed, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

"This isn't the place for a chat, though. Come along to my lab." With that, the man who I assume is Birch started walking back to Littleroot Town. I followed suit, seeing as I had no other choice really.

Back in his lab, Professor Birch began talking once again. I tried to ignore the eyes of his other co-workers and focus on what he was saying.

"So, April! I've heard so much about you from your father. But he said you're not a Pokémon Trainer yet," _Yet?_ "If that's true, that was quite the performance back there!"

"Please sir, I hardly did anything. That... Pokémon is the one who should be receiving praise, not me."

The man stared at me for quite some time, before he suddenly broke out into a hearty chuckle, catching me off-guard. "Looks like you really are your father's daughter! He would say the exact same thing!"

I wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of or not...

"Oh, yes! To say thanks for rescuing me out there, how about I give you that Pokémon you used earlier?"

I clumsily caught the ball he'd tossed in my direction. It was still empty, the Pokémon choosing to walk back with us rather than go inside it's Poké ball. The Starter stood beside me, as silent as ever. However I wasn't sure this was such a good idea.

What would my other two Pokémon think of me owning another one?

"Are you sure, sir? I mean I-"

"Of course! You saved me, it's the least I can do," There honestly wasn't that much saving to be done... "And maybe now that you have your own Pokémon you can become a Trainer."

Ugh, here we go again. Why does everyone keep insisting?

"While you're at it, why not give a nickname to your new Treecko?" So that's what it's called.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not. I prefer to call my Pokémon by their actual names."

The Professor seemed intrigued with that idea. He stroked what little beard he had thoughtfully. "Is that so? It's not often I hear that. Do you already have Pokémon of your own?"

"Yes, actually... I can give Treecko back if you want-"

"Nonsense! Treecko is my gift to you, keep it." Birch turned to his desk, pulling out his notebook and copying the messy scrawls of words over onto his computer via his keyboard.

There was a moment of silence, and I took this opportunity to look around the workplace. There were a large assortment of electronic devices, most of which I'd never even seen before. So instead of risking the chance of accidentally breaking something, I settled on fingering through the nearby bookcase.

It was fairly small, with a limited genre to read, but the titles were pretty interesting. Most of them seemed to be about Pokémon.

"You know, if you work with your Pokémon and gain experience, I think you'll make a great Trainer," Said Birch, making conversation. "My boy, Brendan, happens to be out on Route 103 right now, surveying Pokémon for me. It might not be a bad idea for you to head out that way yourself. What do you think?"

I sighed, closing the book in my hands and placing it back in the shelf amongst all the others. "Look, Professor. Thank you for Treecko, but I don't want to be a Trainer. I'm just not interested."

"Hm...can I ask why?"

That caught me by surprise. Not a lot of people wanted to know _why_ I was so against being a Trainer.

"Well, because... I don't know, it just seems kind of boring," I decided to tell him how I really felt about it. Why not? He did ask after all. "All you do is catch Pokémon and use them to beat people stronger than you are. It seems a little..."

"Barbaric?" Provided Birch.

I nodded, unable to speak. That's a little harsh, but I suppose it aligns with the words I would've used to describe it.

"Perhaps it is," That wasn't what I'd been expecting to hear. The Professor turned around to face me, closing his notebook and switching off his monitor. "But if both the Trainer and the Pokémon enjoy battling, enjoy the thrill of the fight, can it really be considered barbaric?"

"I... I guess not." I understood where he was coming from. "But the fact of the matter is that in the end it's the Pokémon who do all the work, and it's the Trainer who claims all the glory. When really all they did was tell that Pokémon what to do.

"It's the Pokémon who should hold the spotlight, but it gets taken away from them! That's why I don't like Trainer's, or want to become one."

Professor Birch sat in his chair, the metal squeaking under his weight. "I see..." I stood there, fists clenched and jaw tight. I hadn't realised just how much the subject could rile me up, or that it was those things even bothering me about it. I guess people aren't lying when they say it feels good to 'get it all off your chest'.

I do feel better. A lot better than I had since this entire moving fiasco.

"But I believe you're different, April."

"Excuse me?" I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. Different?

"From other Trainers, you're different. You're right, there are some Trainer who only care about winning and end up depriving their Pokémon of the praise they deserve. But you," He suddenly smiled. It was such a warm and genuine smile that I felt all the anger inside start to fizzle away. "You can see what others can't. You see the brilliance of Pokémon that everyone else has forgotten.

"That's why I think you'd make an excellent Trainer, April."

Flabbergasted, I could do nothing but stand there dumbly with my mouth open. I wanted to respond, but no words came to mind. To think someone I barely knew thought so highly of me, and after such an outburst as well... I was almost ashamed to be standing in the same room as this man.

"So, will you give being a Trainer a go? At least give it a try! I promise you, you'll be amazing at it! You could definitely go far in life, I guarantee it."

"Well..." I still wasn't completely sold on the idea, but I had to admit I was warming up to it. What would it hurt if I were to try it out for a week or two? If I didn't like it, I could always come back. "Alright, I guess it can't be helped."

"Great!" The Professor practically leapt from his chair, sending it skidding across the tiled floor. Treecko beside me jumped at the noise and bumped into my leg. The Pokémon threw an unhappy look at Birch, who smiled apologetically.

"I'm sure Brendan will be happy to hear that, too. He can help teach you what it means to be a Trainer...oh, yes! And if you're ever lost along the way, just use the AreaNav on your PokéNav Plus!"

The Professor handed me a small wrist gadget with multiple settings and functions. The entire structure looked so confusing. It was going to take some time for me to figure out how to work this thing...

"You can use it to see how to get to Route 103, where Brendan should be. And if you or your Pokémon get tired, get some rest back at your new house."

"Alright, thank you Professor." I clipped the PokéNav Plus into place and tucked Treecko's Poké ball safely away in the green and yellow pouch strapped to my waist.

"Good luck!" Called Birch as I exited the Lab. Stepping out into the sparse neighbourhood, I leaned against the Lab's door after it clicked shut and sighed.

What had I gotten myself into? Did I really just agree to becoming a Trainer? I'd been so caught up in the moment, surprised by the Professor's praises, that I let the situation get the better of me and became exactly what I detested the most.

"A Trainer..." Saying the word left a bad taste in my mouth. What was I going to do? I didn't want to use my Pokémon for battles... It was bad enough that I'd had to subject that poor Treecko to one back in Route 101.

I glanced down at the Starter beside me. He was patiently waiting to see what I was going to do next, his arms folded and his feet crossed as he leaned against the wall.

What _was_ I going to do next? I suppose finding Brendan was the best choice. But did I really want to?

Not in the least. Though Birch had asked me to...

With another tasking sigh, I pushed off the door and knelt down beside Treecko. He seemed intrigued with the red object I was turning on in my hand, though he tried to hide it by turning his head and acting nonchalant.

Once the Pokédex, which was given to me by my father in hopes that I might need it in this new region, was buzzing with life I directed it towards the Pokémon in front of me and waited for it to respond. "Let's see what you're all about, shall we?"

" _Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. This Pokémon is a grass-type and commonly found in the Hoenn region. Treecko is cool, calm and collected – it never panics under any situation. If a bigger foe were to glare at this Pokémon, it would glare right back without conceding an inch of ground."_

"Huh..." I closed the Pokédex and stuck it back in my waist pouch. "I assumed you were a grass-type."

I had to laugh at the description of Treecko, I could definitely see him having a glare-off with any Pokémon who looked at him wrong. I'd have to watch this one, who knows what kinds of fights he'd end up picking.

"Alright then, my new little buddy. How about you return to your Poké ball for now while I try to find Brendan?" I held the mechanic ball out to the Pokémon, but he simply turned and swatted it out of my hand with one of his tails.

I was surprised at first, but it didn't stop me from picking it back up and trying once again. "Please? I promise it won't be for very long."

Treecko kept his back turned to me, but I could see that he was mulling it over. I stayed crouched, waiting patiently for him to come to his own decision. After awhile, the grass-type spun back around and dropped his arms.

He gave me a scrutinising look, almost as if he were testing me in some way. Not knowing what to do, I simply flashed him the best smile I could muster, hoping it would coax him into agreeing and jumping into the ball.

It seemed to work, because the next thing I knew he was relaxed from his guarded position and reaching out a hand to my own. He pressed the button of the device and it snapped open, a vibrant red light pouring out and engulfing Treecko whole before pulling him inside.

The Poké ball shut with a click and I stood. "Thank you." I whispered to the Pokémon inside before placing it in the pouch and making my way over to my new house.

"Pikachu, Buizel! You in here?" I called out, poking my head through the gap of the door. They were indeed here, lounging across the sofa and watching as mum struggled to plug in all the cords attached to the TV.

The two immediately jumped from their spots and bounded over, excited to see me back. I held my arms open as Pikachu went for the leap. I caught him easily, he'd done it so often that it was now second nature to me, and hugged him close. He chuu'd happily and nuzzled my face affectionately, his short yellow fur itching my nose and bringing on a sneeze.

I shifted Pikachu onto my shoulders and pinched my nose, suppressing it. Everyone always says it's dangerous to stop a sneeze, but I've done it for so long now that it's just become a habit.

When Pikachu was just a little Pichu, even the slightest of sounds would startle him terribly and he'd end up shocking himself and anything within a five meter radius of him. So in order not to scare him, I always had to stop myself whenever I felt a sneeze coming on. Habits are hard to break.

Buizel smacked right into my legs, unable to slow himself in time. I ended up being pushed back outside and falling onto my behind in the grass.

It was a rough landing, but I was more concerned when Pikachu was flung from me and went rolling across the ground. Buizel, only just realising what he'd done, quickly got up and retreated to around the other side of the house, predicting the wrath of the electric rodent.

And he wasn't wrong, Pikachu scrambled to his feet and clenched his front paws, his tail erect and his ears slanted back as he angrily chittered at the water-type running for his life. My yellow rodent squeezed his eyes shut and hunched his body over, sparks building and flying out from his cheeks.

Knowing what was to come, I dove out of the way and pressed my belly to the ground, my hands over my head to act as some sort of shield.

Pikachu screeched at the top of his lungs as he stretched his body out and released a massive wave of stored electricity from his cheeks. The giant bright streams of crackling light spiralled up towards the sky before arching over and descending back to the earth.

The ground rumbled beneath me as the thunderbolt connected with it's target, a surprised wail sounding from behind the house. I lifted my head and watched as some of the people in the area ran to their homes, while others opted for ducking for cover and praying they wouldn't be hit as well.

I jumped to my feet and scooped up the furious Pikachu. I knew there was a chance of getting electrocuted myself – in fact I had no doubt – but I couldn't let the people of Littleroot Town get caught in the midst of my two Pokémon going at each other like they so often did.

They were the best of friends, that's for sure. But sometimes Buizel rubbed Pikachu the wrong way, or would accidentally end up hurting the rodent due to his clumsy footwork. None of those occasions ever went over well with the little guy, so he often let his frustration out the way most electric-type's commonly do; by electrocuting things.

"That's enough, sweetie! I think the naughty Buizel's learnt his lesson!" Sweetie was a nickname I reserved only for my Pikachu. Don't get me wrong, I didn't choose favourites out of my Pokémon. They were all equally precious to me and I would – _could_ , never choose one over the other, but Pikachu I had raised from an egg.

He'd been my very own baby, and he would always remain my little baby, no matter how much bigger he got, if he were to grow at all since his growth was stunted as an egg.

I caught sight of my other Pokémon, singed to the tails and staggering over on wobbly legs. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, his tongue hanging out as he sent a goofy grin my way.

Buizel had clearly been well and truly fried. I chuckled and retrieved his ball, holding it out for the Pokémon to go into. "Come here, my poor boy. I think you need a good rest."

The water-type stumbled in my direction and bopped the Poké ball with his nose. He was engulfed in the familiar red light and sent inside to recover. I made a mental note to stop into a nearby Pokémon Centre on the way.

I was going to introduce Treecko to the two before we left, but it seemed introductions would have to wait until Buizel was feeling better.

I wrote a quick note to mum using a pen and notepad from my pouch, saying I'd decided – reluctantly – to try out being a Trainer and that I might not be home for some time.

It was easier for me to tell her via paper than endure a sappy goodbye if I were to tell her face-to-face.

Placing the small slip of paper in the mailbox, I turned and made my way down Route 101, using the AreaNav function on the device strapped to my wrist to lead me in the right direction.

Glancing forward, I could see a clear path cutting between the tall grass, it was worn down and quite dusty, suggesting it was often used. Pikachu squeaked at me quizzically, his back paws on either side of my shoulders and his front paws and fuzzy chin resting on the top of my head.

I assured him that nothing was wrong, despite _everything_ being wrong with this, and continued on my way, gingerly stroking Buizel's Poké ball in my hands as some form of distraction.

Well, here goes...everything.

* * *

 **So...new story. Yay. I honestly wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with this one; whether I'd post it or not. At first I was just going to keep this as a sort of "story for myself" and just work on it sparingly while I take breaks to think up new ideas for my others ones (like ATOC).**  
 **This story probably won't have regular updates like ATOC, since it is of course a side story to waste time away on, like I just previously stated. The main bulk of it will be following the ORAS games, with my own little plots thrown in here and there, so there WILL be a lot of the game conversations and scenes repeating in this one. Sorry if that's not the type of FF you're looking for.**  
 **Also, I changed May's name in this only because that's what I called my character in Alpha Sapphire when I played through it. She still looks exactly like the May in the game, I just changed the name up so I...I felt more attachment to the character I was writing?**  
 **Remember, this story originally wasn't planned to be uploaded to any sites at all, and I don't really want to change it.**  
 **A lot of the text in this story that comes from ORAS is based on what I remember, so sorry if not a lot of it's accurate to what's actually said/happens. I haven't played the game in almost a year, but I can't bear to overwrite my original save file so I have no way to play through it again and make sure everything's right or not. Please try to overlook it!**  
 **And please leave your thoughts in a review if you have any at all, good or bad. If enough people think this is decent and want to read more, I might try focus some of my time on later chapters and keep posting.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_** **2.** **_**

I glanced up from the PokéNav, confused by the directions I'd been given. The AreaNav app displayed on the screen was telling me to turn right and follow a dirt path, but when I looked for said path, there wasn't one. Nothing but tall, lush grass and aged trees were in that direction.

I'd never really had much luck with technology, but I didn't think the PokéNav would fail me this soon. I tapped the screen with my nails, hoping that maybe a little jostling would make it find the right course. No such luck.

Pikachu leaned around my head to see what was wrong, chittering in a baffled manner.

"This thing isn't working," I held my wrist up to him so he could see, even though I knew he'd make no sense of it. "It's telling me there's a path here, but I'm not seeing it."

Pikachu sniffed the PokéNav curiously. He jumped from my shoulders and scurried in the direction I'd pointed to, his nose twitching as he trailed the ground with it.

"Be careful in that grass!" I called out as he dove head first into the blades. I watched with concern as the grass shook with the yellow mouse scampering through it.

I heard a squeak and ran forward, pushing through the thick blades to get to my Pokémon. There sat Pikachu on a very narrow dirt path, looking as proud as punch. His eyes shone triumphantly, his little paw outstretched towards me, waiting in anticipation.

I laughed and gave him the high five he deserved. "Well done, buddy! Now we can be on our way."

Pikachu danced around happily, seeming very pleased with himself. I gave him an affectionate rub under his chin before continuing forward, allowing Pikachu to guide me.

The AreaNav said it would only take fifteen minutes at most to reach the next town, but it looks like it'll take us longer due to the fact that most of the paths have been covered by over-grown plants.

I didn't really have a problem with it, though. The scenery was nice to look at. Hoenn's quite a lot greener than Johto. It's hard for anything to really thrive in Johto due to the extremely cold climates. It never stayed sunny for too long over there either.

But here, plants had all the sun in the world to soak up and enjoy. I know I've said it before, but Hoenn really is a beautiful place.

A distant rustle caused Pikachu to suddenly stop in his tracks, his tail erect and his ears swivelling. "What is it, boy?" I knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his back. He gave a short squeak in response, his eyes trained on whatever was in front of us.

I looked that way also, but couldn't spot anything with my untrained human eyes. A flurry of black and grey suddenly shot out of the grass, whizzing past us and disappearing just as quickly as they'd came. Pikachu tensed himself, clearly it wasn't over yet.

A second wave of Pokémon came toward us, in hot pursuit of the others. I fell back from the force of furry bodies brushing against me as they passed, some even full on crashing into me in their haste.

One Pokémon accidentally ended up barrelling straight into Pikachu, not seeing the rodent until it was too late. The two creatures went tumbling through the grass, a surprised squeak sounding from the startled mouse Pokémon.

The two separated and glared angrily at each other. I stood and ran out of the grass to try and stop them.

"Come on, sweetie, he didn't mean to run into you like that." Pikachu argued back with hurried chitters of his own, clearly disagreeing. I could see there was no way to avoid the oncoming battle.

My Pikachu was beyond the point of reasoning and the wild Pokémon clearly wanted nothing more than to battle it out against the electric-type.

I quickly opened my Pokédex and scanned the grey and black pup, recognising it as the same type of Pokémon who'd attacked the Professor.

" _Poochyena, the Bite Pokémon. Poochyena is an omnivore – it will eat anything. A distinguishing feature is how large its fangs are compared to its body. This Pokémon tries to intimidate its foes by making the hair on its tail bristle out."_

I shut the device and pocketed it. So it's a Poochyena. They didn't seem all that threatening, maybe Pikachu _could_ take it on? I could see that the two Pokémon were itching to battle, the Poochyena growling and snapping it's jaws in anticipation and Pikachu responding with a growl of his own, his yellow fur standing on end and his tail erect.

"Are you sure you can handle this, buddy?"

Pikachu let out a confident squeak, digging his paws into the earth and shifting his weight backwards, ready to charge. I was still concerned for him, but I knew there was no way to change his mind now.

"Alright, if it's a battle this Poochyena wants, then it's a battle he'll get," I moved back to a safe distance, before giving out the first attack.

"Pikachu, use quick attack to get up close!"

The electric-type sprung into action, darting across the land and kicking up the earth in his wake. His paws barely grazed the ground as he barrelled towards the waiting Poochyena, his tail acting as a balance rod while he ran in a zigzagging motion to try and confuse the foe.

"Quick, thunderbolt!"

Pikachu pushed off the ground and leapt into the air, using the built up momentum to carry him further up until he was at a safe distance. The rodent curled into himself as he charged the upcoming attack.

Sparks leaked out from his cheeks before he released the stored electricity down onto the Pokémon below.

But the Poochyena had been expecting such an attack and quickly dove out of the way, the thunderbolt colliding with the ground and sending shattered pieces of earth and rocks flying everywhere, few managing to hit the Poochyena.

The wild Pokémon made a leap for the falling Pikachu, who could do nothing but flail helplessly in the air. The Poochyena caught the rodent in his mouth and landed back on all fours, keeping a tight hold on the wriggling electric-type.

"Pikachu, no! Try to get out!" I yelled, wishing I could run over and pry him from the beasts mouth myself. I tried to think of a good counter attack for the situation, but I was so overcome with worry that I couldn't think straight.

The Poochyena's mouth was suddenly alight with flames licking from the corners of his mouth. I watched in horror as the Pokémon's fangs sank deep into the belly of my Pikachu, the fire at the tips of his fangs wrapping around the rodent and spreading across his entire body.

Pikachu let out a pained screech, throwing his head back and writhing in agony as the fire left him with a severe burn.

"Pikachu, get out! Please!" I covered my face, unable to watch as my baby struggled uselessly to free himself. No longer able to bear the sounds of his desperate cries, I reached for his Poké ball and withdrew him from the battle.

I hugged the red and white device close to my chest, my hands shaking uncontrollably. A vicious growl sounded from the Poochyena, who was clearly not happy that the battle had been ended so abruptly.

The wild Pokémon turned around to face me, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared, flashing those fierce bottom fangs. I felt dread settle in my stomach as the Poochyena raced in my direction, saliva dripping from the sides of his mouth as he let out a terrifying snarl.

He was angry, and trying to fight _me_! All of a sudden I understood why the Professor had ran from the little Poochyena nipping at his heels. They were scary, really scary. For something so small, they were _very_ aggressive.

I was petrified, my knees clapping together from how much I was shaking. But my feet were rooted to the spot. I couldn't move, my body refused to listen to me. I could only watch in fear as the vicious pup made a dive for me, mouth wide open and flames dancing from it's pointed canines.

A sudden flash of light lit up the open area for a fraction of a second before disappearing to reveal something small and green.

The new Pokémon spun in the air and connected it's thick tails with the Poochyena's face, easily smacking him away.

"Treecko!" I cried, realising what it was. The grass-type landed nimbly on his feet, arms crossed – as always – and sporting his typical 'don't care' attitude. I was so happy to see him right now that I almost scooped him up into a bone-crushing hug, though I refrained from doing so considering the situation.

The Poochyena got to his feet, his tail puffed up and his eyes flashing with anger. Treecko lowered himself into a fighting stance, bending one leg and stretching out the other, one hand placed firmly on the ground while the second was held out in a similar fashion to his leg.

He almost reminded me of a ninja. Almost. I'm sure ninjas didn't sprout two dark green tails from their backsides. Treecko waited for the Poochyena to make the first move before taking any action.

The wild Pokémon veered off to the left, hoping to catch the wood gecko off-guard. But Treecko was quick to retaliate, almost as if he'd been expecting such an attack.

The two were dangerously close to colliding with each other now, not even a mere ten feet between them. The Poochyena went in with a leap, aiming for the other's throat.

Treecko took that chance to drop and slide right beneath the pup, letting off a barrage of seeds from his mouth, aiming at the Poochyena's sensitive underbelly.

The Poochyena yelped as the force of the seeds pushed him up into the air. He flailed wildly, claws raking against thin air, hoping to grab something.

I collapsed onto the grass, watching in amazement as the two battled. I know I should be helping Treecko, but I was still quite shaken up. Besides, it seemed he could manage on his own just fine.

Treecko watched the Poochyena kick out helplessly above him, taking the opportunity to get ahead in the battle. The grass-type jumped after the pup, coming into line with the rapidly descending Pokémon.

The Poochyena caught sight of the starter beside him and snarled, twisting and reaching out in an attempt to do some form of damage to the smug Pokémon.

Treecko pulled himself into a spin, letting the momentum build up before outstretching his tails and pounding them into the surprised Poochyena's stomach with a satisfying 'smack', sending the pup hurdling towards the ground twice as fast.

The Poochyena came crashing down into the earth, the speed of the fall causing serious damage to both the ground and the Pokémon. Chunks of rocks and dirt flew out in a mushroom like cloud across the area, covering everything within a 20 meter radius in a fine coat of dust, including me.

I held my arms up to cover my face from the rough bits flying around. Once the dust had settled I could see the rather large dent left in the earth from the collision, the wild Poochyena lying in the middle of it, the wind knocked out of him from the force of the impact.

I felt bad for the pup, hoping that Treecko hadn't overdone it and caused serious injury to the poor thing. But it seems my worries weren't needed as the Poochyena stumbled to his feet and limped somewhat awkwardly off into a nearby patch of tall grass, whining pitifully.

He was going to be sore for a while...

Treecko came over to me, walking up in his usual stance. I smiled and gave the starter a grateful pat, deciding that he probably wouldn't like a hug. "Thank you, Treecko! You saved me...what would I do without my dependable little knight?"

The Pokémon huffed and turned away to better hide his embarrassment, his tails swishing in an irritated manner. I chuckled and thanked the grass-type once more before returning him to his ball for a well-deserved rest.

I reached for another Poké ball and called out Pikachu to see how he was fairing. I felt bile rise in my throat as I glanced in horror at my poor yellow mouse.

Pikachu lay slumped on the ground, unable to stand even though he kept insisting on trying to get to his feet. The fur around his stomach was matted and singed, the exposed skin beneath not looking any better.

I could see parts starting to redden and swell from where the Poochyena's fangs had been. "Oh, Pikachu...I'm so sorry, I shouldn't of let you take him on. I should've known better!"

Pikachu let out a raspy squeak, his ragged breaths growing more intense as he painfully forced himself onto all four paws. He squeaked again – with more clarity this time – and shook his head, staring up at me defiantly.

I knew what he was trying to say, I didn't need to speak the Pokémon language to understand my Pikachu. He'd wanted to battle, he'd been ready for it. But he _hadn't_ been ready for it, the end results pointed that out clearly.

Pikachu let out a pained whine before his legs crumbled beneath him, a burning blaze of fire enveloping his entire frame before dissipating. Oh no...he'd been burned.

"I have to get you to a Pokémon Center, please get back in your Poké ball for now." I leaned in to touch the device to him, but Pikachu was quick to swat it away with his tail, using what little strength he had left.

He chattered his teeth, once again giving me that intense stare, daring me to defy him. I knew he wanted to stay out in case there were any more wild Pokémon, but how could he possibly fight any of them in this state?

"No, I want you to go inside your Poké ball. Please Pikachu, it'll be easier for you in there. I'll be fine, I promise." No amount of reasoning was going to deter my little rodent though. I sighed in frustration and scooped him into my arms, cradling him as gently as I could so as not to hurt him further.

The rest of the hike hadn't been too bad. There were a few more wild Pokémon on the way who'd taken interest, but I'd been quick to avoid them like the plague and just keep on running.

Pikachu all the while had tried his hardest to be tough and not let the pain get to him, but every burn just brought on another wave of agony for the poor electric-type.

As Oldale Town came into view, I headed straight for the Pokémon Center, easy to recognise by the large red roof. The glass doors slid open to allow me entrance.

I ran up to the front desk, startling the nurse Joy working here.

"Please nurse Joy, I need you to heal my Pokémon!" I held up the shaking Pikachu, suffering through another wave of the burn.

"Yes, of course. Please put your Pikachu in it's Poké ball before I take them to the machine." I handed the Chansey waiting beside me my other two Poké balls, muttering a quick thank you before retrieving Pikachu's and bringing it in front of him.

"I need you to get inside now, so nurse Joy and Chansey can help you, okay?" I was praying that Pikachu wouldn't, for once in his life, be stubborn and just do as I asked.

It seems my prayers were answered, because Pikachu willingly allowed me to touch the device to his head, sending him inside with a flash of red.

I handed the last Poké ball over and dropped my arms, biting my lip nervously as the black surface of the machine my Pokémon sat atop flashed in an array of cool toned colours.

Nurse Joy had sensed my distress and came over, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It'll take a little over half an hour for the process to be complete, why don't you go and sit down for a bit? Chansey will bring out some food for you in a little while."

I gave the nurse a silent nod and shuffled over to the colourful waiting chairs, choosing an orange one to sit in. I let my mind wonder as I waited, seeing as I really had nothing else to do.

It felt like I'd eaten lead for breakfast. Every fibre in me felt heavy and weighed down. My stomach was somersaulting and my heart was pounding furiously from within my chest. The beating pulse in my ears was so loud that I hadn't even heard the Chansey come up beside me.

She caught me by surprise when a clinical silver food tray was placed on my lap. I jumped at her presence, almost knocking the piping hot chocolate from her grasp. She cried out as she struggled to hold onto the mug while I apologised profusely.

The Chansey handed the cup over, giving me a weary look – perhaps thinking that I'd end up spilling it over myself – before going off to attend to the other Trainers waiting around.

I waited until the Egg Pokémon was out of sight before moving the food tray carefully over to an empty blue chair beside me. I wasn't hungry, the worry inside me leaving no room for food.

Instead of eating the bowl of noodles, I opted for taking small sips of hot chocolate, not wanting to seem completely rude. I only managed to get through half the cup though before I ended up just staring into the contents of my drink, lost in thought.

Guilt gnawed at me every time I thought of poor Pikachu. I couldn't stop questioning the 'what if's'.

What if nurse Joy couldn't heal my little Pikachu? What if he ended up hating me for the extreme pain I'd put him through while battling that Poochyena? What if that battle left him traumatised?

If I had just said no to him in the first place and not caved in to his demands, then he wouldn't be this way right now! Why did I always give up the fight against my Pokémon? Was I really that weak of a person? Could I not stand up to them?

I tried to think back on a time when I'd been firm with my Pokémon, but the more I tried to find _something_ , the more I realised that every time my Pokémon wanted anything, I immediately gave it to them.

They wanted berries? They got it. They wanted to go outside in the middle of the night, even though I was sleeping? I let them out. They wanted my human food, rather than their Poké food? I gave them some.

If Floatzel wanted macaroons instead of berries, even though they had to be imported all the way from Kalos? He still got them.

If Pikachu wanted to battle, even though I _knew_ he wouldn't be able to handle it? He still got to... and I regret it so much.

What was I going to do? How could I ever make it up to him for being such a foolish Trainer? I placed the now lukewarm cup on the tray and lowered my head into my hands, digging my fingers painfully into my scalp.

Heh... I shouldn't even be calling myself a Trainer. I have no right to. Sure, I think most Trainers use and abuse their Pokémon just for a silly title, but at least they know _how_ to battle! They know how to get their Pokémon out of a sticky situation, instead of just standing around dumbly and watching pathetically on the sidelines.

They _know_ how to stay calm in such a situation and quickly turn it around to their benefit, whereas all I can do is cry and plead like a little child when my Pokémon needs my help the most.

...What am I even doing out here? Did I seriously think I could handle going out all on my own? No, I wasn't alone...which made it even worse. I had my Pokémon with me, _three_ of them! Two more than the average Novice Trainer gets and I _still_ manage to screw up royally!

I heard the sound of the glass door slide open with a squeak, but could care less about who was walking through them. I kept my forehead pressed firmly against my palms, unwilling to look up even though I heard footsteps coming my way.

I willed the person to go away, to come to an abrupt halt and quickly walk back to the desk, but no such luck.

"April?" I groaned at the sound of my name and reluctantly dropped my hands, shifting my head up to meet the eyes of the person in front of me. It was no other than Brendan.

Who else could it have been, really? I've only just moved here, so it's not like anyone else travelling around would know my name.

He wasn't sporting his usual happy-go-lucky grin though, instead he was frowning down at me, his eyebrows knit together in concern. "Is something wrong?" He took up the seat opposite of the food tray beside me, clasping his hands together between his knees as he held my gaze.

"I'm waiting for my Pokémon to heal." I admitted, averting my gaze to the recently mopped lino floor.

"What? But I thought you weren't a Trainer!" Brendan leaned back in his seat at that, seeming genuinely surprised.

"I'm not," I confirmed, my voice stern. "Not anymore."

"I'm confused..." I snuck a glance over at the boy beside me. His expression was true to his words. He really did look bewildered. If I weren't in such a dispirited mood, I would've found it funny that he was the type to so easily wear his emotions on his sleeve.

"Your dad, Professor Birch, managed to convince me to try out becoming a Trainer, but..." I felt my throat tighten as I thought back on what happened in Route 101. My voice grew a little shaky upon remembering, much to my chagrin. "Pikachu...I couldn't...I couldn't help him. He got hurt because of me."

I glared over at the brunette boy as he let slip a little snicker. How dare he laugh at my Pokémon's pain! I raised my fist and pulled it back, my knuckles colliding painfully with his shoulder.

I instantly pulled my hand away, cradling it against my chest as we both cried out at the impact. Brendan rubbed his shoulder, giving me an apologetic look, although the grin was still there.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to laugh, but it's natu-" He was cut off abruptly as a melodic chime sounded throughout the Pokémon Centre, indicating the machine was finished. I jumped from my seat and ran forward, practically throwing myself at the front desk.

Nurse Joy gave me a soft smile before reaching back and collecting the Poké balls, laying them into my waiting hands. "Please be more careful in the future."

I promised her that I would before rejoining Brendan. A Chansey must've come by to collect the tray, because it was no longer there when I sat down again. I still felt a little bad for not eating any of what they'd prepared for me...

"So these are your Pokémon?" Brendan leaned forward to inspect the orbs in my hands. "Bring them out, would you? I want to see them!"

"Alright, alright, jeez." I huffed at the boy's persistence, picking up the Poké ball I wanted to see the most and opening it. I was temporarily blinded by the light before Pikachu appeared.

He rubbed at his nose with his front paws, ears twitching as he surveyed the place around him. When Pikachu caught sight of me however, there was no hesitation as he jumped straight into my lap, letting out a happy coo.

I wrapped my arms around his little frame and hugged him close, relieved to see him feeling like his old self. "I'm glad you're okay." I whispered, burying my face into his fur. Pikachu squirmed out of my embrace, plopping back onto my lap to continue observing the insides of the Center.

"Cool, a Pikachu!" Brendan spoke up, pointing out the obvious. He leaned down so he was on level with the little rodent, a wide grin stretching from ear to ear. "Hey there, I'm Brendan!"

Pikachu squeaked in surprise and spun around, swatting out in a flurry at the face not even a hand's length away from him. Brendan was quick to pull away, yelping at the sudden attack and covering his face for protection.

"Sorry!" I couldn't help laughing, despite knowing that I shouldn't be. "He gets easily startled."

"No, it's fine...I guess I should've expected it." The boy brushed it off, his earlier cheer coming back. "So, what are the other two?"

"Well, one I actually got from your dad just today." I retrieved the other two and released them also. Buizel looked as good as new, his short orange fur once again shining with the familiar coat of oil that all Buizel's secreted.

Treecko stood a little further from everyone else, surprised to be out next to two completely strange Pokémon to him.

Buizel was quick to jump on me, his goofy grin instantly lighting me up inside. All my previous worries just seemed to disappear when I caught sight of my overly cheerful water-type hugging me and purring merrily to himself.

"What Pokémon is that?" Asked Brendan, poking the clueless Pokémon's arm curiously.

"A Buizel," I explained while patting his head affectionately. "They're from the Sinnoh Region."

"Really? Cool!" Brendan reached out to grab one of Buizel's tails, inspecting it thoroughly.

"Wait, I wouldn't-" But I was too late, the boy had already grabbed the remaining tail in his other hand, giving them a slight squeeze to see if they were as squishy as they looked.

Buizel yelped at the sudden intrusion of hands fondling him and quickly turned around, delivering a swift tail slap to the unsuspecting Trainer's face.

Brendan recoiled in his seat, holding his cheek in disbelief. Buizel hissed unhappily and tucked his tails beneath him, chittering what would probably be sailor worthy insults at the brunette.

"Buizel's have very sensitive tails, they're not fond of them being touched." I stroked the Pokémon's head in an attempt to calm him down.

"I guess I deserved that then," Brendan gave a light-hearted laugh, releasing his cheek after giving it a good rub. "You're from Sinnoh?"

"No, Johto actually. Buizel was a present from a good friend of mine who moved over there a few years ago."

Brendan gave an understanding nod, but when he caught sight of my third Pokémon he suddenly beamed as bright as a sun stone, getting up from his seat to kneel next to the grass-type.

"Treecko! How's it going, buddy?"

"You know each other?" I hadn't expected that, though I guess I should've considering he is the Professor's son.

"Of course! I used to help my dad out with raising the Starter Pokémon until I became a Trainer myself. I haven't spent as much time with the recent batch, but we're still good friends, right pal?"

My Treecko clearly had something else to say about their relationship though, because he was quick to shoot out a spray of seeds at the boy's face.

I covered my mouth with my hand, attempting to hold in a snort. "It doesn't seem you two get along as well as you think."

"Nah, it's just his way of showing affection!" Brendan got to his feet and stretched, bones popping and clicking as he did so.

I flinched at the noise, I've never been a fan of those kinds of sounds. It always made my own bones ache just hearing it.

I placed Pikachu on the floor, and nudged both him and Buizel over to Treecko, giving them all some time to become acquainted.

"As I was saying before," Brendan began, glancing down at me as he re-adjusted his beanie. "It's natural to lose your first battle, even against a wild Pokémon. Novice Trainers rarely ever win the first one, so it's okay."

"But it's not okay," I stared at my shoes, unable to meet his gaze. "I got Pikachu hurt because I didn't know what to do. I let him battle even though I knew he couldn't win."

"Of course he couldn't win."

I glanced up at that. Where was he going with this?

"Like I said, it was your first battle; _and_ his. I bet he was just as clueless as you were. But that's alright, because learning on-the-go is half the experience of your journey! The whole point of becoming a Trainer is to _learn_.

"To learn how to battle, to learn how to get out of tough situations. Few Trainer's ever know what they're getting themselves into when they set out on their journey, and that's what makes it _fun_! The surprises and thrills along the way are what Trainer's really set out for.

"Sure, we want the badges, the ribbons, the titles. We get disappointed when we lose, frustrated even. But a loss doesn't mean it's the end of the road, it just means we have to go about getting to where we want in a different way, to try new things to achieve our goal. You know?"

I stayed silent, taking in everything he'd said. He was right; of course he was. I'd been looking at being a Trainer completely one-sided. I believed that it was all about the glory for them, about reaching that shimmering pedestal with the gold medal gleaming in anticipation of their arrival. That they'd do anything to get to that point, even if it meant using their Pokémon to achieve it.

But I'd been wrong. What Brendan had said made my entire view of Trainer's take a complete one-eighty, and he probably didn't even realise it. He'd just been rambling about something that seemed so obvious to him, but it was almost like a slap in the face to me, waking me up from my own narrow-minded judgement.

"Brendan...thank you."

"Hm? For what?" I smiled at the perplexed boy beside me, his arms crossed behind his head as he lounged back in the blue chair he'd once again taken. He was as oblivious as a Slowpoke, having no idea how much his words had changed my outlook on this whole ordeal.

"Nothing," I brushed it off, turning away from Brendan to watch the three Pokémon conversing with each other, Treecko seeming more reluctant.

"Okay... so!" I jumped when Brendan suddenly leapt from his chair, re-strapping his bag over his shoulder and turning to me with an eager glint in his eyes. "If you're officially a Trainer now, then that means I can deem you my rival! And you know what rivals do best? Battle!"

"Now when did I ever agree to becoming rivals with you?" I narrowed my gaze at the grinning fool, finding it hard not to break out into a smile of my own at his ridiculous expression. "And I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to battle again yet..."

"Come on, April. Live a little! You don't have to use Pikachu, you could use you're Buizel...a-actually, I think it'd be better if you used your Treecko! You know, since he's your Starter in Hoenn and all."

I glanced carefully at Treecko. Did I really want to risk him getting hurt just like Pikachu? What if I froze up like last time? But then again...it's already been proven that Treecko can hold his own against other Pokémon. And I'd be battling Brendan and his Pokémon, so he would definitely stop before anything got out of hand. "Well, I guess we could battle..."

"Great!" Brendan lit up like a Volbeat and latched onto my wrist, pulling me up from my seat and over to the front desk. He retrieved his only Poké ball from nurse Joy before leading me out of the Centre.

My three Pokémon were quick to tag along, Treecko hanging in the back while Pikachu made a leap for my shoulders, perching himself comfortably in his familiar spot.

"So, where are we going?" I assumed it was to the Route ahead of us, but I couldn't see the name written on the sign from here.

"To Route 103. I still have some Pokémon surveying to do for my dad before I can head out on my journey."

Houses and people disappeared as we passed the wooden sign. I felt the earlier dread crawling back into my stomach as I saw the tall grass ahead. I creeped a little closer to Brendan's side, motioning for Buizel and Treecko to stay close as well.

"Don't worry, wild Pokémon usually stay away when there's more than one Trainer around. They're not as tough as they make themselves out to be when they know they don't have a fighting chance!" Brendan grinned at that, clearly thinking back on some fond memories of his.

"I'm surprised your dad let's you come out here on your own." I know my dad wouldn't even let me set foot outside of Littleroot Town if I didn't have Pikachu or Buizel with me. Guess I shouldn't tell him about today when I ran out on Route 101 to help Professor Birch, Pokémonless...

"But I'm not alone, I always have my trusty Pokémon with me!" He tapped the Poké ball strapped to his belt fondly. "Careful along here, the dirt gets pretty loose after it rains."

I followed cautiously in Brendan's footsteps, having to catch myself a few times while we walked downhill. Brendan was quick to take hold of my hand when I almost went sliding the rest of the way down.

Buizel was hanging onto the back of my shirt; his attempt at helping me keep my balance, bless his little socks. If he had any, that is...

Treecko was fairing just fine, able to nimbly waltz his way across the path with little to no worries whatsoever. If only I had his prowess...

We made it to the bottom fairly unscathed, surprisingly. There'd been more than a few times where I honestly thought I'd end up tumbling over my own feet and dragging Brendan down with me, but he was stronger than he seemed, able to hold most of my weight – with great effort on his part – while I fumbled to get my footing back.

"Alright!" Brendan cried out suddenly, catching my attention as well as that of my Pokémon. "Let's get this battle started!"

I motioned for Buizel to stand off to the side, Treecko standing diligently at my feet. I removed Pikachu from my shoulders, asking him to wait with Buizel.

I turned to face my neighbour, watching him jog backwards to put a fair amount of distance between us.

"Okay, this is a one-on-one battle and will end when one Trainer's Pokémon can't continue, got it?"

I gave a nod, wringing my hands nervously in front of me. My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute, making it hard for me to concentrate on what Brendan was saying. I closed my eyes, willing away the nerves making themselves known inside my gut. My legs were shaking with the effort to hold me up, my arms feeling numb.

Brendan must've caught on, because he was suddenly shouting all sorts of encouragement to me from across the field. "Don't worry, April. We'll go easy on you!"

I gave a weak smile to that. Why was I so nervous? There was no need for me to be. This was Brendan, not some wild, vicious Pokémon. He wasn't going to do anything to hurt Treecko.

I need to calm down.

I watched as the boy unclipped the Poké ball from his belt and tossed it into the air, the device opening to reveal the creature waiting inside.

It was a small chick-like Pokémon. It's soft, fluffy plumage was mainly bright orange, with tiny yellow developing wings and a yellow plume of three feathers atop its head. It had a small, tan beak and talons with three digits of the same colour. The Pokémon gazed out onto the field with large, seemingly innocent black eyes. I almost didn't want to fight it.

I glanced down at my own small, bipedal lizard-like Starter, gnawing on my lip nervously. Did I really want to do this? His two leaf shaped tails were swaying lazily with the wind, his arms crossed over his red chest. He was sizing up the opponent.

"Okay Treecko, let's go. You can do this, I know you can..." It sounded more like I was trying to convince myself than the wood gecko. Though it didn't seem he needed any encouraging because he was quick to jump into place, leaning all his weight back as he balanced on his tails in a lazy manner, not at all phased.

"Torchic, let's show them what we're made of! Get up close and use scratch!" The chick Pokémon chirped confidently before scampering in our direction, his head in line with his back as he ran at full speed, sharp talons raking up the dirt behind him.

"Don't let him near you!" I shouted, but Treecko showed no signs of worry, instead choosing to turn his reptilian gaze towards the sky rather than listen to me. "What are you doing? Treecko, watch out!"

I gripped the hair framing my face and pulled on it in frustration as the grass-type lounged around, allowing the opponent to get closer. Oh no, it's all over. He's not listening...we're going to lose, and he's going to get hurt...

Torchic cried out loudly as he went in for the strike. I can't take it, I can't watch! I was just about to cover my eyes, but then Treecko suddenly sprung into action, launching himself upwards and twisting in the air to dodge the attack.

Torchic went sliding across the ground, unable to come to a halt. Treecko took that chance to make his move without waiting for me to call out an attack. The grass starter spun around in a blur, creating a storm of sharp, knife like leaves around his body, concealing himself.

The opponent screeched in shock as it was cut rapidly from all angles when the attack descended. But despite being temporarily caught off-guard the Torchic seemed, for the most part, unharmed.

I was flabbergasted. How on earth could that little chick come out of such an onslaught unscathed?

I glanced up, but Treecko was nowhere to be seen. Where'd he go? Surely he didn't just run off in the middle of a battle...

My worries were misplaced however because Treecko suddenly came back into view, barrelling stealthily towards the unaware Pokémon from the sidelines. He must've snuck out of sight while everyone's attention was on the leaf storm.

Brendan was also looking for the grass-type, noticing a little too late. "Torchic, run!"

The startled chick fumbled where he stood, catching sight of the opponent and trying to make a mad dash in the opposite direction. Treecko was on him in seconds though, gliding over the fluffy orange body and smacking Torchic upside the head with his tails, sending the Pokémon skidding face down across a rocky patch of dirt.

Treecko decided to use his built up speed to loop back around, making for another swipe at the disoriented Torchic. His tails made contact again, and again, _and again_ , slapping the poor thing back and forth like a tennis ball on the court each time.

Brendan grit his teeth in frustration, his hands fisted at his sides. I could see he was trying to think of a way out of this predicament.

If I were in his place, I wouldn't have the slightest clue what to do either. Even now, I was as useless as ever, letting my Pokémon do all the work for me.

"Torchic, grab onto him!"

Torchic snapped into focus at the sound of his Trainer's voice. He scrambled to his feet and prepared for the next attack, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Treecko, stop! It's a trap!" I yelled, but he continued to ignore me. I watched, heart pounding away painfully as my Pokémon grew ever closer.

Another swift slap was delivered to the chick, but he was quick to shake the assault off and latch onto one of his opponents tails with his beak, biting down hard enough not to be shaken off.

Treecko barked at the sudden move, coming to a faltering stop and trying his best to rid himself of the tag-along.

"Yes! Now we've got him where we want him!" I didn't like the sound of that. Brendan's victorious grin made my stomach drop. What was he planning? Was the battle over if Treecko couldn't shake his Pokémon off?

"Treecko, you need to get him loose! Shake him off!" I squeezed the Starter's Poké ball between my hands tightly, my palms sweaty.

"Not gonna happen. Go for it, Torchic!" His Pokémon willingly obeyed, squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a muffled cry as he clutched onto Treecko's tail like his life depended on it.

Hot, orange flames suddenly burst from the little chicks body, the blazing tendrils wasting no time in crawling up the length of my Treecko and engulfing him whole.

"No!" I cried out, despite the fact my protest wouldn't do much. It was like a relapse of what happened to Pikachu. No, not another Pokémon...why does this keep happening?

Treecko wailed and writhed on the ground, kicking and clawing at anything near him. He dug his little green digits into the earth, finding that having something to hold onto made the pain a little more bearable.

"Please Treecko, get out! Use your leaf storm, or...or..." My mind clouded over and made it hard for me to concentrate. I had frozen up, just like in the first battle.

Treecko, with great effort, shifted his gaze in my direction, but I was too paralysed by fear to notice it. The Starter was shaking to his very core, rapidly growing weak as the flames continued to painfully lick at his scaled skin.

With all the strength he could muster, Treecko pushed himself onto his feet and conjured up another leaf blizzard, encircling himself with it this time. The stings of the leaves were nothing he couldn't handle, but Torchic was finding it harder to bare with each passing second.

The fire danced wildly in the wind, burning whatever got too close to it, but the force of the gust was enough to eventually blow it out.

Torchic released the other Starter and stumbled back, puffing out his feathers and shaking himself free of the leaves clinging to him. Treecko slumped back to the ground, unable to hold himself up after the initial energy boost wore off, the dim green light surrounding his form dissipating.

I ran forward and dropped to my knees, reaching for the exhausted Starter and cradling him in my arms. "Treecko, are you alright?"

The Pokémon opened his eyes in a squint, glancing up at me silently. He was tired and sore, but it seemed he'd be just fine. I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me, my arms growing weak and almost letting the grass-type slip back to the ground.

"Why didn't you listen to me? I told you it was a trap!" Treecko continued to gaze up at me, giving nothing away. He eventually turned his head to look elsewhere, clearly deciding our discussion was over.

"Don't be too hard on him," I looked up as Brendan walked over, holding his own Pokémon who looked just as wiped out as Treecko. "It's hard for Pokémon to trust someone they don't really know at first. You just need to spend a little more time together, that's all."

"I suppose so..."

"Besides," He continued, placing his Torchic down and lacing his fingers behind his head while grinning down at me cheekily. "He battled really well considering we had the advantage!"

"True...wait, you set it up! You knew you'd win with the type advantage!" I couldn't believe this sleaze ball. Brendan ducked out of the way with a laugh when I grabbed the nearest pebble I could find and pegged it at him. "No wonder you didn't want me to use Buizel, he could've easily demolished you!"

"Yeah, yeah. We still would've won, even against your water-type. Right, Torchic?" The Pokémon jumped back in his arms and cheeped loudly in agreement, fluttering his little wings despite how exhausted he looked.

"Here," Brendan dug through his bag, revealing a small spray bottle when he pulled his hand back out. "Use this. It'll help Treecko with the pain until we get back to the Pokémon Centre."

"Thank you, Brendan." I gave him a grateful smile, taking the potion and spraying it generously to any wounds I could find. Treecko stayed relatively still during the process, only flinching away when the mist came into contact with a particularly deep cut.

"There, all done! Do you feel a bit better now?" The Starter remained silent, but he was at least standing on his own now. I thanked Brendan once again before calling my other two Pokémon back over. Pikachu was quite happy to return to my shoulders.

"Let's hurry and head back!" Brendan called Torchic into it's Poké ball and made a dash back up the path we'd come from.

"Hey, wait up..!" I hurriedly put Treecko into his Poké ball, with his permission of course, and raced to catch up to the boisterous boy ahead of me.

Brendan glanced over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out and waggling his fingers on either side of his head in a mocking manner.

I glared playfully at him, picking up the speed as we climbed our way back up the rocky road.

_ **. . .** _

I was the first to exit the Pokémon Center, my neighbour not far behind me. Treecko and Torchic were both healed up while Brendan and I decided to have lunch.

And I'd actually eaten the food this time, too. I was soon finding out that Brendan was the type to never stop talking once he got started though, even with food in his mouth.

I'd taken a jab at his less than polite mannerism of talking with his mouth full, feigning disgust. But it hadn't bothered – or stopped – him from continuing to do so. In fact, I think my pointing it out had only spurred him on into doing it more often.

Time had passed relatively quickly in the Center, compared to my first trip which felt like the minutes were endlessly dragging on.

I drew the crisp air of Oldale Town into my lungs, holding my breath for a few seconds before exhaling heavily, shoulders sagging with the motion. The taste of the oxygen on this side of the world would take some getting used to.

Compared to Johto, which always held a little icy kick to the air in that Region, Hoenn was much easier to breath in. I could understand why my home Region was one of the least visited places compared to everywhere else. It was rough, cold and bitter while Hoenn's a holiday paradise filled with tropical plants and white sandy beaches stretching for miles around.

"So," Brendan spoke up, breaking my train of thought. I turned to my newly found friend, who so far I was managing to get along with – something that came as quite a surprise to me. "Where are you headed?"

I honestly had no idea. I hadn't even thought about where I'd wanted to go. Grimacing, I gazed down at my feet, deep in thought. I didn't feel comfortable travelling on my own anymore after that Poochyena incident. I know it's a silly thing to be caught up over, but I just can't shake it from the back of my mind.

What if I were to run into a similar situation? I would just repeat the same mistakes as last time, and possibly get all my Pokémon badly hurt because of it.

But I couldn't really go back home either...not after I left that little note in mum's mailbox. There _is_ the chance that she hasn't found it yet...but do I risk it?

I know that if she's found the note my dad is most certainly aware of my travels by now. I don't want to go home, only to disappoint them when they find out that my life as a Trainer was short-lived.

A sudden slap on my back caused me to stumble forward, the offending hand lingering for a second longer to make sure I wasn't going to end up eating the dirt beneath me.

"Don't think so much, you're making my head hurt just watching you!" I snorted at that, straightening myself up and brushing away imaginary dust, trying to play off my almost catastrophic fall. "And you haven't answered me yet." He pointed out, sending me a sideways glance.

I sighed and looked away, tugging at the corner of my shirt. "I don't know what I'm going to do, okay?" I hadn't meant for that to sound as harsh as it did, but apparently Brendan wasn't the least bit bothered.

"Then come travel with me for a bit." He'd suggested it as easily as inviting someone out for lunch.

"Travel...with you?"

"Sure, why not?" He was positively beaming. I'd never considered the possibility of travelling with someone else. It _would_ be a lot safer than on my own, and I wouldn't have to face the disappointment of my parents for giving up and returning to Littleroot Town.

"Sure." I'd decided. I wanted to travel with Brendan, at least for a little while.

"Really?" He wore a perplexed look, surprised by my agreeing so easily.

I grinned whole-heartedly, reaching up to pat Pikachu who was resting his chin on my head."Why not, right?"

Brendan gave me a toothy grin, bumping my shoulder with his own before heading off towards a different Route, me tagging along beside him.

_ **. . .** _

A mixture of warm and cool hues danced playfully with each other across the sky as the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, laying itself to rest and making way for the moon.

The sound of nature had changed along with the transition of the sun and moon. The Taillow were all tucked away in their nests, there melodic songs coming to an end for the day while the nocturnal Pokémon decided it was their time to shine, singing soft, calming tunes of their own.

I would've never guessed that a forest could be so musical. Up until moving to Hoenn, I'd always lived in Goldenrod, a large, flashy city with noisy transportation and bright building lights that always blocked your view of the night sky.

But out here in the wilderness, I could see twinkling stars and distant milky ways for miles around. It was all very atmospheric.

Brendan and I had set up camp a little while ago. According to the AreaNav app Petalburg City was easily a days walk away, not even that if you kept up a good, brisk pace.

But Brendan had decided to help me with my battling along the way, giving me all sorts of tips and explaining all there was for a Novice Trainer to know.

His general knowledge on it all had taken me by surprise, especially since he hadn't been too long of a Trainer himself. Apparently you come to learn a lot of things when your dad's a Professor, or at least that's what he's told me.

Every few hundred steps Brendan would pull me aside to point out little tid-bits of information that would be helpful to me later on.

Like the purposes of the different kinds of berries, which herbs could be used to help a Pokémon recover, and which ones to stay away from. But he told me to be careful when using herbs, as a lot of Pokémon found them extremely bitter and were never too keen to take them.

Our Pokémon, Pikachu, Treecko, Buizel and Torchic had spent the better half of the afternoon fooling around with one another and generally enjoying each other's company. It'd taken a while for Pikachu to warm up to Treecko and Torchic, but I was glad to see them slowly getting along as time progressed.

Buizel had been pretty accepting of the new Pokémon, he never was the shy, withdrawn type; even when he was a lot younger. Not a lot of things could phase him, really. He viewed all Pokémon as friends, unless they were to get on the wrong side of him – which isn't an easy thing to do.

I was shocked when I first caught Treecko making an effort to hang around the other Pokémon, but it was short lived, finding that he couldn't handle anymore of their antics and instead choosing to hang back on his own from the comfort of a shaded branch.

Can't say that I blamed him though. Having that many Pokémon forced upon you all at once when you're not particularly the socialising type would drive any introvert to hide away in a tree.

I turned my gaze to the sky, wrapped snugly in Brendan's spare sleeping bag which he'd so kindly offered. I didn't have any sort of camping gear of my own, not having expected to need any.

I made a mental note to go supply shopping with the little change I always carried with me when we reached Petalburg City.

My heart dropped like a weight whenever I thought of Petalburg; of the new Gym my dad owned which he'd be staying at for the first few weeks.

I tried to imagine how our conversation would go, but the more I thought about it the crazier the scenarios became. I wasn't sure I was ready to face him...

No. I _knew_ I wasn't ready to face my dad. But tomorrow we'd be arriving at our first city, and I just know that he's going to be waiting for me to waltz in from Route 102.

There was no way around it. I'd turned to Brendan that night as a means of distracting me from what was inevitably going to come tomorrow.

We conversed until the sky was at its darkest and the moon its highest. About trivial things, about ourselves, about Pokémon. Everything.

I'd gotten to know quite a bit about Brendan in the last few hours. Him and his family had lived in Littleroot Town his whole life. After his mother gave birth to him she became infertile, so he'll always be an only child, but Brendan was happy to not have to share with a sibling.

Torchic was his Starter choice a few months back, but Brendan hadn't set out on travelling until now because his father always needed his help with research.

Oh, and apparently he's allergic to spicy berries. That would explain why he'd leapt away from me like a Stantler and into the nearby pond when I'd picked a Tamato berry and shown it to him.

I stared into the light of the camp fire, provided by the ever helpful Torchic of course. He'd been so proud of his flames, dancing and clucking merrily with his feathers puffed out. Brendan sat shivering on the other side of the fire.

I felt bad; since it's technically my fault that he's wet. I was the one that'd shoved the berry in his face after all. But Brendan kept insisting that it was no-one's fault and he wasn't cold at all. What a bunch of Tauros.

But if he wanted to play the big boy role, who was I to stop him? Rolling my eyes at his stubbornness I'd dropped the subject and remained silent, instead choosing to listen to the nature around us.

"It's beautiful."

"Huh?" Brendan too had been directing his attention elsewhere, because I'd obviously caught him by surprise.

"The woods," I continued, admiring the scenery around me. "It's beautiful here. I never knew outside could be so...could be this amazing."

Brendan laughed, shifting in his spot to uncross his legs and lean back on his hands. "You make it sound like you've _never_ been outside before."

"Well, that's not far from the truth..."

"Seriously?!" My neighbour suddenly shot up again, leaning so far forward his eyebrows almost caught on fire as hot tendrils licked out at his face.

"I was very sickly as a child, so the only outside I ever got to see was from my window. I'm fine now though!" I was quick to reassure the boy when his face suddenly etched with concern.

"Well, you have all the time in the world to see it now!" He gestured dramatically to the wilderness around us.

"Yeah...I guess I do, huh?" I shared a grin with Brendan before declaring that I was going to sleep. I slipped further into the warmth of the sleeping bag, snuggling up against the cosy body of Pikachu sharing the space with me before closing my eyes.

* * *

 **From here on the chapters will probably be a lot more spaced out between each other, or they might keep coming frequently? All depends on how much I actually get into it, which so far seems to be quite a bit.**

 **Once again, I'm writing this story for myself, with no other intentions. The only reason I'm posting it is for a bit of feedback and self-improvement. So the pace of posting will change between leisurely-sporadic, depending on if I'm inspired to write Pokemon or not.**

 **Despite that, I hope you still enjoyed the read, and if you're planning to stick around for more, that you keep on enjoying it!**


	3. Chapter 3

_ **3.** _

We arrived in Petalburg City early the next morning; much to my protest. I wasn't an early riser, as my travelling partner found out. It'd taken Brendan a good chunk of an hour just to try coaxing me out of my warm sleeping bag, with no success.

In the end Pikachu had to zap me awake with an electrifying bolt. He didn't put enough power behind it to hurt of course, but when your suddenly awoken by spasms running throughout your body you get a little snappy at the offender.

I felt bad for going off at my yellow mouse, but every time I tried to reconcile with him he'd flat out ignore me. So what could I do but wait until _he_ felt like forgiving _me_? Knowing how stubborn he is, it could take a while...

Pikachu opted for hopping along with the other Pokémon instead of riding on my shoulders. It was understandable, but that doesn't mean I'm any less unhappy about it. Which of course meant that poor Brendan had to bear the brunt of my snippy remarks for the next few hours, bless his little socks.

But the closer we got to Petalburg, the more worry started to settle in my gut and wash away my cranky attitude. I wasn't ready to talk to my dad – or even _face_ him. I'm not as upset about moving as I had been; in fact, since leaving Littleroot Town and getting to see what Hoenn was all about I'd started to appreciate the change in scenery.

I'd only just started travelling. I have a lot more to explore here and I'm already over my grudge against dad. But unfortunately stubbornness runs in the family veins, so even though I've – for the most part – forgiven him, I know I still won't be able face him.

Neither of us are going to admit we were wrong, or apologise for upsetting the other. That's just how we are.

"You alright? You look kind of pale – well, more than usual." I sent a withering look at the grinning boy beside me. Ever since I'd told him about being fragile as a child he'd taken it as an opportunity to pick on the fact that I look as pale as someone on their death bed. Which just happens to be my natural skin tone, thank you very much.

You don't see a lot of sun in Johto, and any rays of light that do manage to make themselves known are quickly pushed back behind the bars of the clouds, so it's rare to ever get a tan.

"I'm just fine." I quipped, though the Butterfree in my stomach said otherwise. Brendan clearly didn't believe me, but for reasons unknown to me he decided to let it slide; which I was grateful for.

I wasn't in the mood for gushing about my problems.

We'd decided to eat out at a small Café for breakfast after dropping off our Pokémon at the Center. I was grateful for Brendan offering to pay my share of the meal. He knew I was trying to save all the money I had on me for supplies.

But I also felt guilty, I was so nervous that I couldn't find it in me to stomach any food, so the meal was left pushed to the side and forgotten. Brendan had inquired whether I was alright or not, with his usual snide remark thrown into it.

Of course I lied and told him I was fine. There was no need to be worrying him over the petty pride I was clinging to. The thought of seeing my father was definitely a terrifying one; not because I was afraid of him, but because I know that as soon as I admit to being childish and blowing moving way out of proportion I'd lose the battle.

I may not seem like it, but I'm actually really competitive; and a sore loser...but I'd sooner die than admit that to anyone's face.

After a somewhat uncomfortable breakfast – at least on my part – we headed back to the Center to retrieve our buddies.

Pikachu was still snubbing me. I felt my stomach loop itself into undo-able knots as the rodent hopped away from me to join the other Pokémon. My heart strings were pulled tightly, leaving a stinging sensation in my chest.

Pikachu has always been there for me through every tough situation. He was my rock when I needed to be held down to reality. He was my lifesaver to guide me back to shore when I got lost amongst the waves crashing down on me.

And right now, when I needed him the most, he was just out of reach. Though I had no one to blame but myself. If only I hadn't gotten mad at him...

"Shall we head over to the Gym?"

The fog in my head lifted as Brendan's voice broke through my thoughts. I could feel my heart skip a beat in dread at the mention of the Gym, but I pushed the fluttering Pidgeys within my chest aside and gave the boy an answering nod, my smile weak.

The walk across Petalburg had been one I couldn't remember. I know we left the Pokémon Center, my feet carried me down a paved pathway, the smell of wild flowers and fresh water assaulted my nostrils at some point.

A person had come up to us, though I don't remember any of the conversation. It was just him and Brendan chatting anyway. Probably someone he knew.

We'd kept going after that, but my mind was so clouded that it didn't even feel like I was moving. The world was passing by me; people and Pokémon, houses and gardens. But as soon as they were out of sight I instantly forgot they'd ever been there in the first place.

I wasn't in control of my feet, I couldn't feel the hard ground beneath them. My legs were numb and every swing to put one limb in front of the other felt awkward and unnatural, but I kept going. I kept following the red clad back in front of me.

It was too soon when a large, looming building came into view. I'd only ever seen it on TV, but a shiver still wracked through my entire being, my spine stiffening uncomfortably and a creeping cold spreading throughout my muscles as it travelled downwards, stopping at the tips of my toes.

I knew what was – _who –_ was waiting in there. And I wasn't ready. Nothing could prepare me for this. Not all those practice sessions, not Brendan's guidance, not my own will-power. Nothing.

My most cherished friend had temporarily abandoned me, and even though I had Buizel and Treeko I felt lost, alone and helpless. They were important to me just as much, but I needed all three of them to lean on at the moment.

Even just one missing was going to bring me down, to send me spiralling into a never-ending pit of shame and embarrassment.

I can't do this. I can't. There's no way. Why did I even come here? What ever made me think I was ready for this? The beating of my pulse had accelerated so rapidly that I honestly feared a vein would pop from the pressure.

My rib cage was battered and bruised from the relentless attack of the panicked pidgey in my chest. My stomach was churning and folding in on itself, trying to reject the non-existent food. I was so glad I decided not to eat anything.

My heart had dropped to my feet quite a while ago, the little colour left in my face rushing down to join the cowering organ.

This was it. This is where I, for the very first time, admit defeat to my dad.

I watched with bated breath and aching lungs as Brendan's curled hand rapped confidently on the sliding doors, wondering why they didn't open for him.

My brain screamed for me to run away, but my body refused to listen.

A click was heard from the other side, two blurry shapes hidden behind the glass. Brendan jumped back to avoid being trampled on. He came to stand beside me as we watched another Trainer a year or two younger than ourselves step out on the path, followed by a tall man with short dark hair.

"Not bad...it was a good battle."

I cringed at the all too familiar sound of the man's voice and shrunk into myself, keeping my eyes pinned anywhere but at the gym entrance.

"Th-thank you, sir!" I couldn't help sneaking a glance at the snivelling Trainer. Looks like the boy lost the battle.

"Come back and challenge me again any time," Dad laid an encouraging hand on the boy's shoulder, giving a him a firm pat before crossing his arms. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you and your Pokémon again when you're a bit stronger."

"Hey," I flicked my gaze towards the boy elbowing my side, raising a quizzical eyebrow at his low whispering. "This is your dad, right?"

"Yeah..." I answered meekly, feeling sick all over again.

Brendan whistled in amazement, folding his hands behind his head. "Sounds like that kid lost to him. You're dad must be pretty strong!"

I couldn't keep the exasperation off my face as I gave Brendan a sidelong stare. "You're a kid too, you know."

"Yeah, well..." My neighbour laughed it off with an easy smile while rubbing his neck.

"Ah, I thought I heard the voice of my daughter."

Oh no...what have I gotten myself into?

The other boy had disappeared off to somewhere else in the city, leaving just Brendan and I alone with my father. Wonderful.

"So, you've finished moving in?"

A curt nod was the only response I gave him. I know it's harsh, but pride can be a nasty thing sometimes.

"I hope you didn't come all the way here on your own, little lady."

Without ushering a word I reached into my pouch to retrieve the three Poké balls in my possession. However I realised my mistake when I caught a quick glance of my dad observing the newest mechanical ball.

I knew it was a futile effort, but I quickly retracted the Poké balls from view and stuffed them into the safety of the pouch once more.

"I see you've acquired another Pokémon."

"Yep! My dad gave it to her now that she's a Trainer."

Horrified, I elbowed Brendan's side; _hard_. He yelped at the contact and jumped away from me, clutching his abused ribs.

"What was that for?!"

I sent the boy an incredulous look, silently fuming at my neighbour's loose tongue. I know mum would've already told him by now, but if there was ever the slightest chance he hadn't been informed yet, maybe I could've gotten in and out of Petalburg City without any issues.

Looks like that's not an option anymore though. Thanks, Brendan.

My father turned to face the clueless Trainer, giving him a quick look over. "Ah, you must be Norman's boy. So April's finally decided to become a Trainer, hm?"

The almost smug look dad was sending my way definitely confirmed that he'd already heard the news. I slouched my shoulders, arms crossed in defense even though it felt as if I'd already been defeated.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't stand around out here talking," Brendan made to follow the new Gym Leader up to the now unlocked doors. "Do you want to come in for a bit? We can talk in the Gym."

No, dad. I really don't want to go in. I want to go to the other side of Petalburg City and get away from here as fast as possible. But that doesn't seem to be an option, since Brendan just happily waltzed on inside with not a care in the world.

Begrudgingly, I stepped through the doors, avoiding eye contact with the man beside me at all times as all three of us made our way into the back of the building.

"So, April, what's the newest edition to your team?"

Dad frowned at my persistence in remaining silent, but only sighed exhaustingly, as if it was the response he'd been expecting to get.

It grated on my nerves that I was so predictable, so without a second thought I snatched up the red and white spheres and released all three Pokémon who'd been put away just moments earlier.

Surprised to be out again so soon the creatures glanced around, two of the Pokémon letting out delighted cries at the sight of the familiar man while one kept his distance, not sure how to perceive the newcomer.

"A Treecko, huh?" I watched with feigned disinterest as dad knelt in front of the little grass Starter. The wood gecko leaned away, tails held up in front of him defensively and thin black pupils trained on the man's face, staring him down.

"Huh...I pegged you for more the cute type, like Torchic."

I felt blood rise to my face at my father's remark. It was probably just the stubborn side of me kicking in, but I was taking everything dad said more to heart than I probably should've been.

Stepping forward, I moved to stand between my Pokémon and him, arms outstretched even though it wouldn't help to block the two from each other.

"Come on now, you know I didn't mean anything by it."

Once again I was annoyed by the fact that I was so easily readable, but I guess it gave me a viable excuse to not use my voice.

I could feel the lingering gaze of Treecko boring into my back, but I chose to ignore it and continue facing down the man before me.

"I think April and Treecko make a pretty good team. Or at least they _will_ , when he actually starts listening to her."

I was just about to thank Brendan for backing me up, but in such typical Brendan fashion, he doesn't know when to stop his mouth from running. He must've sensed the scowl I was sending him, because he quickly turned and gave me a questioning shrug, completely oblivious to why I was sending glares his way.

"Is that so?" Unbelievably, dad was holding back his laughter at the whole scenario. I've never wanted to hit two people as badly as I do right now ever in my life before.

"Um...E-excuse me..."

We all turned to the sound of a soft spoken voice coming from behind us.

"I...I'd like to get a Pokémon, please..."

A sickly looking boy with scruffy mint green hair stood awkwardly at the edge of the room, the door swinging shut behind him with a resounding creak. Lanky limbs hid beneath slightly oversized clothes, wide eyes similar in colour to that of Brendan and I's own gazing up at us nervously.

He was small and seemed very frail, almost as if the slightest breeze could sweep him off his feet. His pale skin only emphasised his weak stature.

I was just as surprised as everyone else to find someone like him standing in my father's Gym, as he looked more like he needed to visit a Hospital rather than seek out Pokémon.

"Hm? Aren't you..."

I turned to dad when he trailed off, temporarily putting aside my stubborn act enlight of the sudden situation.

"You're Wally, right?"

The feeble boy shuffled hesitantly across the varnished floor to join our little circle. "Y-yes...I'm supposed to go stay with my relatives in Verdanturf Town for awhile," The short boy gave the wooden planks beneath him a bashful look, as if he was almost embarrassed to continue on. "But I thought I might be lonely by myself, so I wanted to bring a Pokémon with me.

But I've never caught a Pokémon by myself...I'm not sure if I can."

"I see." Dad stood with his arms folded, seeming to already have an idea before Wally had even finished explaining. When his gaze turned my way my hands instantly began to sweat.

Oh no, here we go...

"April, you heard all of that, right?" He took my meek nod as an indication to continue. "You go with Wally, and make sure that he safely catches a Pokémon."

I watched, flabbergasted as my father reached into his pocket and handed over a shrunken mechanical device to the minty haired boy before us. "I'll lend you one of my Pokémon for now."

"Oh, wow!" The sphere dropped into the boy's outstretched palms. He looked so puny that I half expected the Poké ball to be too heavy and fall right through his grip. "Your Pokémon, sir?"

"I'll give you a Poké ball too, so give it your best." Dad chose to ignore the kids obvious enthusiasm. I could see the slightest shadow of regret crawl across his features as he watched on while Wally examined the items in his hands excitedly. "Take Brendan along with you, while you're at it. I'm sure with all his experience he'll be able to help you two out just fine."

"You got it, Norman!" Brendan turned to me with a grin so big it rivalled even that of a Gengar. "Don't worry, April, I'm an expert at this kind of stuff. You're in good hands!"

I swung my head away from my neighbours direction, eye-balling a suddenly very fascinating crack in the wall beside me. "Coming from you, there's no way that'd put me at ease."

"Hey! I'm a great Pokémon catcher, just you wait and see!"

"I won't hold my breath." I muttered that last part under my breath, so I wasn't surprised when Brendan didn't respond. The Trainer instead turned to the frail boy shuffling awkwardly on the spot while watching our trivial banter.

"Come on, Wally. We'll get you a Pokémon in no time."

As the two headed for the exit, I gathered my Pokémon up and lead them out, following after the two boys in front.

_ **. . .** _

Back out on Route 102, we were having no such luck finding any kinds of wildlife. The three of us had been out for almost an hour now, it'd gotten to the point where we'd called on the help of our Pokémon to join in on the search.

Torchic, Pikachu and Buizel were poking around in the long grass a little ways from where we were. Treecko decided to take to the tree tops and scout out from above.

I knelt beside Brendan, who was currently torso deep in the hollow opening of an old log laying amongst the grass.

"Anything?"

"Nothing...wait-"

I tensed at the brunette's sudden words, leaning forward with anticipation.

"What? What is it?"

"I think I might have found one...It looks like a grass type! Pull me out, would'ya?"

I locked my fingers around Brendan's ankles, planting my feet firmly on the ground before leaning back and yanking with all the strength I could muster. My arms strained with the effort, only managing to move him the tiniest amount.

My shoulders went slack as I paused to take a breath. "Gosh, Brendan. Why did you ever think it would be a good idea to crawl inside a narrow log? You've gone and gotten your fat head stuck!"

"It didn't look so narrow from the outside...and my head is not fat! Keep trying!"

"You'll be the death of me someday, I swear." I once again tugged on the boy's feet, slowly feeling the sack of weight budge from it's wedged position.

The log creaked and groaned from the force it was being subjected to. Brendan's shoulders were almost out of the hole. Just another sharp tug and...

 _Crack!_

The wood splintered and cracked straight down the middle, sending Brendan flying towards me since I was still pulling on him fairly hard.

We landed in a tangled heap, the mucky bottom of his shoe connecting with my cheek. My knee rammed into something rather squishy as I tumbled over, my back meeting with the dry clumpy mud and the long blades of grass being flattened beneath me.

The body strewn over me let out a pained groan, one hand clutching my knee that'd collided with something and pushing it away.

Brendan rolled off me and onto his side, arms wrapped around his abdomen. Oops...did I do that?

I wiped the grime off my cheek, shuddering at the thick, earthy goop clinging to my fingers. I vigorously shook it away before climbing to my feet, looking down at the boy curled in a fetal position.

"Sorry, but...you kind of deserved it for kicking me in the face with your disgusting shoe."

"You were...the one that...pulled on me." Brendan choked out between breaths, letting out a pained gasp as he made to sit up. Okay, now he's being a little over-dramatic.

"You're the one that got stuck in the first place!" I huffed, turning away with crossed arms. No way was I taking the blame for this. Before he could argue it further, I quickly changed the subject.

"So, where's this Pokémon you found?"

The brunette suddenly jumped to his feet and searched the area, instantly forgetting all about his earlier pain. Guess it was all a façade after all.

"There it is! Wait, it's..." I followed Brendan to whatever he was kneeling over, crouching down to get a better look. A large, broad leaf was clasped in his hands, a perplexed expression covering the boys face.

I dragged a hand across my face, unable to stop the shaking of my head. "Well done, _Mr. Expert_. I'm sure Wally will be thrilled with such an amazing find as that!"

"I-it was dark in there, alright? I really thought it was a Pokémon...it seemed just like a Chikorita's leaf at the time!"

I rocked back on the balls of my feet before pushing myself up again, brushing myself off as I rolled my eyes at Brendan.

"How do you mistake _that_ ," I pointed to the sorry excuse for a leaf in disgust, as if it had offended me somehow. "For a Chikorita's leaf? It's looking nothing like one!"

"Well, I've never actually seen a Chikorita before! How was I supposed to know?" My neighbour got to his feet as well, dropping the wilting piece of greenery as he turned to face me with a sulky expression.

I grabbed at the ends of my hair and pulled on them in frustration. "Of course you haven't seen a Chikorita, because they're not native to Hoenn, Brendan!"

Just as Brendan was about to retort with a classic witty response, like he always does, Wally came into the middle of our arguing.

"U-um...have you found anything over here?"

The heated situation quickly diffused as we turned to face the frail boy shyly sneaking glances up at us every now and then, yet too afraid to make direct eye contact.

"Sorry, Wally. There's just nothing around it seems..."

"Yeah...we've looked everywhere, and not a single Pokémon to be found," Brendan fished for his PokéNav clipped to his belt, flipping it open and turning the device on with a swift press of a button. "Not even this could find any."

"Should we try it again?" The boys glanced up at my suggestion. "It's been a while, so maybe it'll pick up new Pokémon in the area?"

"It's worth a shot." The brunette shrugged his agreement. I pulled my own PokéNav out and retraced my steps.

The three of us separated to cover the area again, eyes trained on our screens. The DexNav remained silent and lifeless, no indication at all that there might be something moving around within the grass.

About to give up, I turned around to head back to the others, but the screen suddenly lit up and let out a mechanic tune, announcing it'd picked up on something.

I was so startled by the liveliness of the device that I almost let it slip from my grasp.

"Guys...hey, you two! Come here! There's a Pokémon!"

"Really? You found one?!"

"Where is it? W-where did I put that Poké ball now?"

I twisted my wrist to flash the screen at the other two Trainers, tapping fiercely at the blue ring pulsating in the middle of it.

Wally clumsily pulled the red and white ball from his pocket, fumbling to keep a grip on it as he pressed the button to enlarge the sphere.

Our Pokémon came bounding over after hearing the commotion, going off in a flurry of questioning squeaks and cries as us three Trainers stumbled over each other trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Move, Brendan! If we don't hurry it'll get away!" I pushed the boy's shoulders in an attempt to clear my path. The brunette stumbled forward, catching himself on a nearby trunk.

"If you keep making so much noise you'll scare it off! We need to be quiet!" Brendan pressed a finger hurriedly to his lips, spinning on us as he motioned with his other hand to keep our voices down.

"Says the one who's yelling the loudest!" Despite the brunette's lack of quietness I lowered my own voice, not wanting to frighten whatever was hiding.

"Torchic, you know what to do. Go and sniff it out."

The chick Pokémon cheeped in response, lowering itself to the ground and stalking forward ever so daintily with his fluffy rear up in the air. It was so unexpectedly cute I almost couldn't take it seriously.

"'Sniff it out'? What, is your Torchic secretly part Arcanine?" I was quite sceptical that a bird Pokémon held the ability to sniff _anything_ out.

Brendan simply wore that signature smug grin of his, leaning back against a tree with his hands tucked casually in the pocket's of his pants. "You'd be surprised what Pokémon can achieve with a little training."

"More like a _lot_ of training if it's coming from you..."

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Shh!" We turned to the sound of a straining voice silencing us, surprised to see it was none other than Wally. Though honestly, who else was I expecting it to be? We're the only ones out here.

"Please be quiet...! I-I don't want to lose this Pokémon."

Brendan and I remained silent at the boy's request, much to his relief. The three of us continued watching from the sidelines as we all waited with bated breath for the signal that Brendan said would be coming any second now.

A sudden weight landed on my shoulders, catching me off-guard. A small squeak in my ear told me exactly who it was hitching a ride on top.

A smile crawled onto my face as I reached up to give the rodent an affectionate stroke, enjoying the feeling of my fingers brushing through his soft yellow fur.

"Finally forgiven me, huh bud?"

Chorused chuu's followed as a response, only widening my grin even more to the point it was almost painful.

A short, shrill cry rang throughout the open area, causing our entire group – minus Brendan – to almost jump out of our skins.

"What was that?" I uncovered my ears once the noise stopped, glancing at my neighbour for an answer.

"The signal," The brunette moved to stand behind the frail boy, pushing poor Wally out further into the field. "Torchic's chasing it this way, hurry up and call out your Pokémon!"

"R-right..!"

We stood back and watched as the shaky Trainer struggled to release his borrowed creature. The Zigzagoon landed swiftly in front of Wally, tail erect and paws spread apart, ready for battle.

The rustling became louder, the sound of scampering feet padding through thick grass almost deafening in the otherwise silent surroundings.

A small green and white body stumbled out into the field, shielding it's face from the sudden burst of light.

"Now's your chance, Wally!"

"Go for it!"

I joined in with Brendan, shouting words of encouragement at the timid boy.

"O-okay...Zigzagoon, use- um..."

Wally glanced back at us with pleading eyes, mouth hanging open as he tried to recall an attack his temporary Pokémon could use.

"Tackle!" Brendan and I screamed in unison, causing the poor boy to drop the spare Poké ball in his hands.

"Tackle, Zigzagoon, use t-tackle!"

The tiny raccoon leaped forward into the battle, moving in such a way that'd earned them their name.

No longer startled by the bright daylight, the wild Pokémon quickly dove out of the way of the oncoming attack. My dad's Pokémon went flying right past and smacked head first into a thick trunk.

"G-good job, Zigzagoon!"

I turned to the minty Trainer with a disbelieving look, while the boy beside me simply laughed.

"No, Wally. You don't praise him for missing an attack..." I pressed a palm to my forehead, head shaking at the scene before me.

"Oh, sorry..." Wally looked down at his feet, cheeks flushed in a warm hue.

"Less apologising, more catching!" Brendan quickly snapped the other boy back to the situation at hand. "Focus on the battle!"

"Okay...! Zigzagoon, use tackle once more!"

With great determination written on his little face, the Zigzagoon sprung to his feet, shaking out the dirt in his fur before charging towards the other Pokémon again.

His head connected with the stomach of the opponent, sending the thing flying back into a cluster of nearby rocks.

Startled squeals left the Pokémon's mouth, the figure slumping after the sudden impact.

"Wally, your Poké ball! Throw it!" I cupped my hands over my mouth to better project my voice, even though he could probably hear me just fine.

Pikachu chittered excitedly from my shoulders, bouncing on his feet as he watched the match with eager anticipation.

Wally clumsily enlarged the device in his hand before meekly tossing it in the direction of the stunned Pokémon.

Brendan and I watched on silently, hands clenching as the Poké ball met with it's possible resident. The Pokémon was engulfed by the thin red light and sucked inside.

Everyone stayed eerily quiet as we all listened for that finalising sound. The ball wiggled back and forth as the creature inside tried to wrestle his way out.

"Please catch it, please..."

I glanced over at the minty Trainer, quickly crossing my fingers for luck when I saw just how much he really wanted this.

 _Ding!_

It took no more than a second for Brendan and I to break it out into a chorus of congratulations at the relieving sound of what everyone wanted to hear.

Wally continued to stand there, seeming quite in shock over the fact that he'd just caught his very own Pokémon.

"Well done, Wally!" I ran up to retrieve the Poké ball lying near the rocks, quickly bringing it back over for the frail Trainer to take.

"I knew you could do it! With my help of course."

A snort of disbelief was quick to make itself known as I shot an unamused glare at the boasting boy walking over to us, looking as proud as punch.

"Yes, thank you ever so much, oh Mr. Expert! We would've been completely lost with you!"

"Got that right. Ow! Hey, quit it!"

Brendan tried to dodge my onslaught of pebbles at him, but failed miserably and ended up tripping over his own feet and landing square on his behind.

I snickered at the cowering Trainer on the ground before dropping my makeshift weapons and turning to Wally, who was transfixed with staring at the orb in his grasp.

"I...I can't believe I actually caught one. My very own Pokémon..."

"Well, you'd better believe it," We both turned to see the brunette getting to his feet and brushing himself off, rolling both his shoulders out as he shot Wally a toothy grin. "Because you're holding it!"

"It might be an idea to take my dad's Pokémon back now." I just know my father's worrying about the well-being of his most recent catch.

"Good idea...I-I also have to thank Mr. Norman for letting me borrow him!"

"Well, let's go then."

After recalling Zigzagoon to his ball, the three of us and our Pokémon made the trek back to Petalburg City, all the while discussing possible nicknames for Wally's new friend.

_ **. . .** _

"So, did it go well?"

We were all idling around the back room of the Petalburg Gym, Brendan and I standing off to the side while Wally returned my father's Pokémon.

"Y-yes, sir! I caught myself a Ralts!"

"A Ralts, huh?" Dad rubbed his chin thoughtfully after placing the returned Poké ball in his pocket. "That's quite the catch."

Wally nodded eagerly in agreement to the man's words, stroking the device in his hands fondly. I bit the inside of my cheek as my brows furrowed.

Confused, I silently nudged Brendan to get his attention. The brunette turned to me with a questioning gaze, quickly letting out a chuckle at the confusion written across my face.

Without needing any more encouragement, Brendan retrieved his Pokédex from his bag. I watched with burning curiosity as his fingers typed away on the screen, pausing to bring something up before turning it in my direction.

The little Pokémon from back on Route 102 spun slowly in the center of the screen as a male robotic voice read out the entry.

" _Ralts, the feeling Pokémon. Ralts has a dual typing of Psychic/Fairy. Using the horns on it's head, Ralts has the ability to sense the emotions of people and Pokémon. It will hide if it senses hostility."_

"Wow...what a good catch!"

"It's not exactly your typical Starter, but it's still a great choice for any beginning Trainer." At the voice of my dad I instantly went quiet again, turning away so our eyes wouldn't meet. An audible sigh sounded behind me, but I chose to ignore it.

"Brendan, April..."

The two of us looked towards the fumbling boy pulling at his sleeves and averting his gaze elsewhere. He stood awkwardly in front of us as he tried to find the right words, nervously twisting the toe of his shoe on the polished floor.

"Thank you so much for coming with me. It was all thanks to you two that I was able to catch Ralts. My very own Ralts..." Wally suddenly flicked his stare up to meet ours, gratitude shining brilliantly behind those large eyes of his. "I will always, always treasure it!"

"I'm glad, Wally." I gave the boy a gentle pat on the shoulder, sending him a warm smile of encouragement.

"Just remember to take good care of your Ralts from now on." Brendan also joined in by giving the boy a solid slap on the back, almost knocking him flat.

Wally choked a bit as he stumbled to find his footing again. "I just wish there was some way I could repay you...oh, I know!"

I shared a quizzical look with my neighbour as the timid Trainer suddenly lit up like a fuse.

"It's not much of a thank you, but...um...would you let me see your PokéNav's for a second?"

"Huh? Sure..."

I waited for Brendan to hand over his before unstrapping my own from my wrist and laying it into Wally's outstretched hand. I rubbed at the exposed skin while I waited for Wally to finish up whatever he was doing.

Even though I've had my PokéNav Plus for no more than a day, it already felt strange not having it on.

"And...there!" We took back the mechanical devices as Wally explained what he'd done. "I-I upgraded them and added in a new app for you...it's called the PlayNav, and I've heard you can use it to interact with your Pokémon in different ways. There's also this thing called the PSS!

"Y-you just register your Trainer ID into the system and it allows you to connect with other Trainers in the area."

Flabbergasted, we stared with agape mouths at the younger boy.

"How do you know all of this?" Brendan was the first to break his amazement.

"Well...I've wanted to have my own Pokémon for so long...and do all those kind of things together..." He looked away somewhat bashfully, biting his lip as he continued on in a rushed tone. "So I've had all these kinds of apps installed on my PokéNav Plus for ages! E-embarrassing, huh?"

I was surprised to hear just how badly Wally had been waiting for a moment like this one, where he could finally call himself a real Trainer and care for his very own Pokémon. I almost felt like I, someone who until just recently despised the very thought of Trainers and going out on adventures, didn't deserve to hold the same title as this boy in front of me.

"I'm going to try my best together with Ralts. Y-you do your best as well, you two!"

The brunette laughed merrily and casually swung his arm over the shorter boys shoulder. Poor Wally was struggling to hold himself up under the weight of Brendan.

"Of course we will!"

Wally smiled up at his new excitable friend, before turning his hesitant eyes towards me. "Maybe we'll meet again at another Gym..?"

"For sure!" Brendan was so confident in his answer that I almost believed we really would. I couldn't resist joining in.

"Of course we will, Wally."

The small boy's eyes became alight with a newly found determination, an expression so bizarre to see on such a frail face that I had to do a double-take to make sure I wasn't just imagining it.

"My mum's waiting for me, so I have to get going now. Thank you again for all the help, April, Brendan. And Mr. Norman, too!"

"It was a pleasure." Dad shook hands with him before Wally turned to leave the Gym. We waved goodbye and exchanged quick farewells until his mint coloured hair disappeared behind the closing door.

"Hm," I flicked my dusty blue eyes up to my father, though was careful not to let him see. "That boy is worth keeping an eye on. But for now...I think it'd be best if you two head off to the next Gym. I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to take on official challengers yet, as there's still a fair amount of paperwork to be done."

"No problem, Norman Sir. We'll just come back on our loop around."

Dad gave an agreeing nod. "Good, that should give me enough time to get everything sorted out. I'll see you later, then."

We said our goodbyes, well, Brendan did while I just followed him out, and made for the exit.

I was glad to be back out in open air. The Gym was getting just a little too stuffy for my liking.

"So, shall we go supply shopping before we head out again?"

As we were trailing the cobbled path leading back to the main street, Brendan linked his hands behind his head and lazily swung his gaze my way, eyebrows raised as he waited for an answer.

"Sounds like a plan. I just hope I have enough for everything I need..."

I pulled a small folded wallet from my pouch, sliding open the zipper and tipping all the Poké dollars I had on me into one hand. It wasn't much.

Brendan pursed his lips at my dilemma, clearly having expected me to be carrying more than that.

"Why don't you just go back and ask your dad for some more money?"

"No way."

Pulling into the lead, Brendan jogged to keep up with my sudden brisk pace as we rounded a building and turned off into another street.

"I knew there was something going on back there!"

I scowled at the smug tone of his voice. Treecko matched my stride perfectly while Buizel struggled behind on his clumsy feet, Pikachu holding tightly onto the tufts of my headband so he wouldn't slip off.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Though Brendan was clearly having none of it as he continued to press further.

"What happened to make you snub your dad like that? He seems like a nice enough guy..." The brunette hooked his arm with mine to pull me in the right direction at the intersection.

"He's a great guy." I confirmed, quickly snatching up my neighbours hand and pulling him out of harms way as a car sped down the street we were trying to cross.

"So?" Brendan prompted, once again taking the lead as a line of stores came into view. I followed in his footsteps, eyes trained on the concrete as he looked back at me with that prying gaze of his.

"There's nothing to talk about, and it's none of your business in the first place."

"True...but there's no harm in asking, right?" I sighed at the response I was expecting to get from him. Deciding that the conversation had gone on long enough, I ran ahead until I was face-to-face with the stores on the other side of the street.

Brendan yelled for me to wait up as he staggered to keep up.

"So, which is the one we need?" I asked the brunette when he came up to my side, hands on his knees and his head bowed.

"Don't just run ahead like that..!"

"Well if you were faster, you'd be able to keep up just fine."

Brendan shot me a disapproving frown as he straightened up, clearly unhappy but choosing not to push it towards a heated argument.

"It's this building," I followed the boy over to the shop with the vibrant blue roof, easy to pick out amongst all the rest. "This is the Poké Mart, it's the best place to get all the necessities you need for your Pokémon while travelling."

I nodded to his explanations, scanning the rows medical items as we walked through the air-conditioned aisles.

We came to a stop at the end of the shelves. Brendan grabbed a handful of palm-sized spray bottles, holding one of every type in his grasp as he turned to me.

"These are really useful for the end of battles. They help to remove effects like poisonings or burns, so it's always good to stock up on as many as you can whenever we reach new towns."

"I remember those, you gave me one for Treecko after our battle."

Brendan gave a small smile as he shook his head. "Close, but that was actually something else."

He lead me to the next aisle, scooping up two shopping baskets as we crossed back over the entrance.

I took one of the outstretched baskets from his hands and placed the various bottles inside before looking up to see whatever the boy was showing me this time.

"These are what you're thinking of. The one I gave you was this," He held up the smallest of bunch, making sure I got a good look at it before placing it back on the rack. "A Potion. It's great for healing minor wounds and isn't too expensive.

The next one up from that is the Super Potion, which are worth four hundred more Poké dollars, but they can be used on larger wounds or deeper scratches. Basically, the more expensive the Potion, the better it heals your Pokémon.

But there are cheaper alternatives to Potions, I'll show them to you whenever we get to a vending machine."

"Why would they be in a vending machine?" I paused in placing items into my basket to shoot Brendan a baffled look. Who thought it was a good idea to put those in something like _that_?

"Well...the cheaper alternatives aren't technically meant for Pokémon, but it's completely safe and does just as good a job as the real thing, so why not?"

I felt my brow twitch at the boy's oh-so-casual response. "...Does every Trainer do this?"

"Pretty much! At least, the ones with little to no money do."

"I can't believe I've got a frugal for a guide around Hoenn..."

"Hey! That's nothing to be ashamed of! Especially since everything is so expensive in Poké Marts." When he realised he wasn't doing a good job of convincing me, he quickly put on a grin for my benefit and trotted off to the next row, swinging his basket back and forth. "Don't worry so much! It's perfectly fine, I promise. Everyone does it!"

"You're such a Mareep."

"Am not!"

I snorted at his childish comeback and made to throw more objects into my basket, this time opting for some Poké balls. I definitely needed to stock up if I wanted to catch Pokémon and get anywhere with the upcoming Gyms.

Honestly, I was terrified of the thought that I'd have to be fighting a much older, much more experienced person just to get a badge that proved I was strong enough to continue on my journey. But that was the least of my worries right now, first I actually had to get _good_ at battling before I could even consider facing a Gym Leader...

We met up at the cashier after having decided to go our own ways while in the shop. I laid the items out on the counter while I scrounged up the amount of money I owed.

Four thousand and one hundred Poké dollars managed to get me: Five Potions, five Poké balls – at the insistence of Brendan – two Antidotes, two Paralyze Heals, two Burn Heals and two Ice Heals.

He wasn't kidding went he said it was expensive...

"Please come again!"

I gave a silent nod to the bowing clerk before making my way outside to wait for Brendan. Pikachu sniffed at my pouch curiously, clearly wondering about the new items inside it.

"They're to help you when you battle. There's balls in there to catch Pokémon with, too." The yellow mouse didn't look too pleased with the thought of another tag-along to our group.

He chittered heatedly at my feet, gesturing wildly with his stubby arms as he argued against the idea of new members.

I knelt down beside the little rodent and placed a loving hand on his head, instantly silencing the creature.

"I know you're not really fond of me having other Pokémon..." My hand glided down to gently rub under Pikachu's chin, earning a content squeak from the mouse. "But if we want to take this becoming a Trainer thing seriously, then we need more than just three of you on our team.

A lot of the people we'll be facing in the future will have Pokémon of all types, so we need to make sure we're prepared to deal with whatever comes our way."

Pikachu stomped his foot and backed away from my hand, seeming annoyed with my response. He puffed his chest out and tapped his paws confidently against his yellow fur, head held high and ears pointed.

"I know you're strong, but there will be battles that you just simply can't fight in. What if we ever go up against a ground type? What will you do then? Treecko is always a good switch in, but if an ice or bug type comes out next, we have no way to protect ourselves against that."

The rodent hunched over in defeat, ears drooping and notched tail falling to the concrete beneath his little feet. I chuckled at Pikachu's crestfallen face and quickly scooped him into my arms, standing back up and nudging him onto my shoulders.

"Catching more Pokémon is the only way to make sure we can progress safely on our journey, please try to understand that, Pikachu."

The door to the Poké Mart slid open to reveal a heavily loaded Brendan waddling his way over to us, his bag weighing him down and practically bulging at the seems with the amount of stuff inside it.

"Did you really need to buy that much? I thought you were broke?"

Brendan did a double-take at my accusation, straightening himself up as his eyebrows flew up to his hairline. "When did I ever say I was?"

I blanched. "Back in the Poké Mart! You said that using the cheap alternatives was better then Potions."

"...Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm broke. My dad's a Professor, remember? I have no worries about Poké Dollar struggles."

"Must be nice," Unbelievable. I planted myself on the nearest bench with a huff, arms folded and ankles crossed as I threw myself into a rant. "You have all the Dollars in the world, while I'm now completely broke with nothing left to get and camping equipment with and no where near enough supplies to last me an _entire_ journey!"

"You worry too much," Narrowed eyes zoned in on the brunette as he took up the other half of the wooden bench, leaning back as stretching his arms out along the length of it. "You'll make more money from battling Trainers, and you can keep using that spare sleeping bag I gave you until you have enough to get one of your own."

"Wait..." I turned on my spot so I was better facing Brendan, head tilted as I thought over what he'd said. "Other Trainers give you money for battling them?"

"Only if you win." He clarified. I dropped my head into my hands with a groan.

"Great. I'm going to be indebted for the rest of my life..."

The easy laughter coming from my neighbour was doing nothing to console my worries. "Relax. You can just battle me until you think you're ready to face other people!"

I guess that is an option. It certainly beats facing off against strangers and having to write out I.O.U's.

"Well...I guess that could work."

"There you go! See? There's always a solution to every problem."

After stopping into the next store so Brendan could stock up on food supplies, we finally decided that we were more than ready to hit the next destination; Rustboro City.

* * *

 **Little shorter than the other chapters, but I'm surprised I got it out this soon. I was planning to wait until I'd started on Ch.4, but why not just post it now? Though that means they're might be a bit of time between this one and the next, depending on how easily it comes to me while writing.**

 **Just one other thing to say, something that a kind reviewer actually pointed out to me. This story is DEFINITELY, 100% Daiharu/HoennChampionShipping focused, it'll just take a little while to build up to that. Because what's a good story without a proper plot or character development? So sorry to the people who read the summary and thought the story was immediately focused around the pairing, because it's not. But it will, once again, DEFINITELY make an appearance, you can be sure of that.**

 **Anyway I hope you've enjoyed thus far, despite this one being a tiny bit shorter and probably not that exciting to read.**


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